Animals and the Ten Commandments.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 3 July 1914, Page 2

Animals and the Ten Commandments.

Are animals more moral and regular in their behaviour than human beings ? Startling though the question may seem, it is, nevertheless, a fact that, instinctively, animals, birds, and some reptiles obey the ten commandments in an exemplary manner. It is a common belief, for instance, that animals inyariablv break the seventh commandment. As a matter «of fact, however, many species of animal are true to the one mate they select. Animals of the highest plane, such as wolves and foxes (the British fox excepted) are monogamists, and even if they forget their young and their young forget them, they never forget each other. These animals pair for life, and so far is this principle carried by the American wild goose, that if its mate is killed it never mates again. The reason why there is no more successful group of birds on the face of the earth than the pigeon is because they maintain the highest monogamous standard. "THOU SHALT NOT KILL."Again, take the law of obedience. A chicken will at once obey its mother's duckings when the latter is alarmed for the safety of her offspring. The puma -will give her cubs a severe clouting if they fail to obey her, and a young deer will ar once lie down as though dead When warned, for instance, by its mother that a wolf is near. Of killing of their own kind, there is amazingly little among animals, thus showing that they recognise law against murder. This is due, as is pointed out by Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton, the famous American naturalist, who is at the present time in London telling fascinating stories of animal life, not to reasoning, of course, but to the deeplaid instinct to preserve the species, hammered in by much tribulation. FALSE WITNESS. A striking illustration of the observance among animals of the commandment/ " Thou shalt not steal," is afforded by the fact that they always mark their own property, generally' by adding their odour to it, so that they know it for their own. Mr. Seton has' seen cases of wolves and heard cases of foxes respecting each' other's- marks. But it only applies between the same species. Animals, too, are very strict in regard to the law against bearing .false ~ witness. An ambitious young hound or wolf who gives scent on a ; false trail is soon discredited, no further attention being paid to his "word." While there does not seem to be much recognition among animals of a superior being, there are some extraordinary instances of wild animals and birds 'in desperation throwing themselves on the protection of man. On one occasion a wild pigeon chased by a falcon took refuge on the saddle of a horse rid- j den by one of Mr. Seton's companions, while a wild hare chased by a weasel once sought safety between his own feet. Which seems to prove the recognition of a superior being on the part of animals in extremis. ELEPHANT DANCES. It is a curious fact, too, that the higher civilised animals have all invented -games. Badgers have been playing "King of the Castle " for hours on end in much the same manner as played by children. Otters are especially addicted to tobogganing and sliding down a steep slppe into a river, in other words shooting the chute. Elephants have been known to have a special spot to Which they resort for dancing, and prairie hens are also very fond of dancing in the early hours of themorning.—"Tit Bits."