Animal behavior; Animal intelligence; Natural history -- Outdoor books
Many instances have been recorded of animals seeking the protection of
man when pursued by their deadly enemies. I heard of a rat which, when
hunted by a weasel, rushed into a room where a man was sleeping, and
took refuge in the bed at his feet. I heard Mr. Thompson Seton tell of
a young pronghorn buck that was vanquished by a rival, and so hotly
pursued by its antagonist that it sought shelter amid his horses and
wagons. On another occasion Mr. Seton said a jack rabbit pursued by a
weasel upon the snow sought safety under his sled. In all such cases,
if the frightened animal really rushed to man for protection, that
act would show a degree of reason. The animal must think, and weigh
the _pros_ and _cons_. But I am convinced that the truth about such
cases is this: The greater fear drives out the lesser fear; the animal
loses its head, and becomes oblivious to everything but the enemy that
is pursuing it. The rat was so terrified at the demon of a weasel that
it had but one impulse, and that was to hide somewhere. Doubtless had
the bed been empty, it would have taken refuge there just the same.
How could an animal know that a man will protect it on special
occasions, when ordinarily it has exactly the opposite feeling? A deer
hotly pursued by a hound might rush into the barn-yard or into the
open door of the barn in sheer desperation of uncontrollable terror.
Then we should say the creature knew the farmer would protect it, and
every woman who read the incident, and half the men, would believe
that that thought was in the deer's mind. When the hunted deer rushes
into the lake or pond, it does so, of course, with a view to escape
its pursuers, and wherever it seeks refuge this is its sole purpose. I
can easily fancy a bird pursued by a hawk darting into an open door or
window, not with the thought that the inmates of the house will
protect it, but in a panic of absolute terror. Its fear is then
centred upon something behind it, not in front of it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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