ANIMAL COMMUNICATION 



to be seriously engaged in the worthy task of expos- 

 ing "false natural history." 



Now the singing of birds, the crowing of cocks, 

 the drumming of grouse, are secondary sexual char- 

 acteristics. They are not necessary to the Uves of the 

 creatures, and are probably more influenced by imi- 

 tation than are the more important instincts of self- 

 preservation and reproduction. Yet the testimony is 

 overwhelming that birds will sing and roosters crow 

 and turkeys gobble, though they have never heard 

 these sounds; and, no doubt, the grouse and the 

 w^oodpeckers drum from promptings of the same 

 sexual instinct. 



I do not wish to accuse " Hermit " of willfully per- 

 verting the facts of natural history. He is one of 

 those persons who read their own fancies into what- 

 ever they look upon. He is incapable of disinterested 

 observation, which means he is incapable of observa- 

 tion at all in the true sense. There are no animals 

 that signal to each other with their ears. The move- 

 ments of the ears follow the movements of the eye. 

 When an animal's attention is directed to any ob- 

 ject or sound, its ears point forward ; when its atten- 

 tion is relaxed, the ears fall. But with the cat tribe 

 the ears are habitually erect, as those of the horse 

 are usually relaxed. They depress them and revert 

 them, as do many other animals, when angered or 

 ' afraid. 



Certain things in animal life lead me to suspect 

 95 



