The Universal KinshipMoore, J. Howard (John Howard)
Philosophy
The Universal Kinship
Moore, J. Howard (John Howard)
Evolution; Human beings; Sociology
really fagged, for its onsets were at last much feebler than at
first. I came away after twenty minutes, leaving the little hero in
triumphant possession of his charge.
Among some species of monkeys several individuals will join together
in overturning a stone for the possible ants’ eggs under it; and,
when a burying beetle has found a dead mouse or bird, it goes and
gets its companions to help it in the interment.[3] Crows show
benevolence by feeding their blind and helpless companions, and
monkeys adopt the orphans of deceased members of their tribe. Brehm
saw two crows feeding in a hollow tree a third crow which was
wounded. They had evidently been doing this for some time, for the
wound was several weeks old. Darwin tells of a blind pelican which
was fed upon fishes, which were brought to it by its friends from a
distance of thirty miles.[4] The devotion of cedar-birds to each
other and their kindness to all birds in distress are well known to
every student of ornithology. Olive Thorne Miller tells of a
cedar-bird that raised a brood of young robins that had been left
orphans by the accidental killing of the parents. Weddell saw more
than once during his journey to Bolivia that when a herd of vicunas
were closely pursued the strong males covered the retreat of the
weaker and less swift members of the herd by lagging behind and
protecting them.[3]
A remarkable instance of altruism which he once saw exhibited by the
king-crabs in a London aquarium is mentioned by Kropotkin in his
work on ‘Mutual Aid a Factor in Evolution.’ One of these crabs
had fallen on its back in a corner of the tank. And for one of these
great creatures, with its saucepan carapace, to get on its back is,
even in favourable circumstances, a serious matter. The seriousness
was increased in this instance by an iron bar, which hindered the
normal activities of the unfortunate crustacean. ‘Its comrades
came to the rescue, and for one hour’s time I watched how they
endeavoured to help their fellow-prisoner. They came two at once,
pushed their friend from beneath, and after strenuous efforts
succeeded in lifting it upright. But then the iron bar prevented
them from achieving the work of rescue, and the crab again fell
heavily on its back. After many attempts, one of the helpers went
into the depth of the tank and brought two other crabs, who began
with fresh forces the same pushing and lifting of their helpless
comrade. We stayed in the aquarium for more than two hours, and,
when leaving, came to cast a glance upon the tank. The work of
attempted rescue still continued. Since I saw that I cannot refuse
credit to the observation quoted by Dr. Erasmus Darwin that the
common crab during the moulting season stations a sentinel, an
unmolted or hard-shelled individual, to prevent marine enemies from
injuring moulted individuals in their unprotected state.’ Walruses
go to the defence of a wounded comrade when summoned by its cries
for help.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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