more refined
in the matter of their personal care.

Science may yet prove that the old legend of the mermaid sitting on a
rock, with a glass and comb in her hand, was not so far from truth as
we imagine. No doubt, the bright-eyed seals looked like sea-maidens to
many ancient mariners. The originator of the mermaid stories had
possibly seen seals making their toilettes. These beautiful and
affectionate human-like creatures of the water, wear, attached to their
front flipper, a handsome comb-like protuberance. When they rest on the
rocks, they use this little comb to brush the fur on their faces; and
the Northern fur-seals, when the weather is warm, use their flippers as
fans. The secret of teaching seals to play tambourines is due to their
desire to comb their fur and fan themselves!

Members of the cat family are, perhaps, the cleanest of all animals,
with the exception of some of the opossums. Lions, panthers, and pumas
dress themselves very much as the domestic cat performs her toilette.
They use their feet, dipped in water, as wash cloths, and their tongues
as combs and brushes. Hares also use their feet to wash their faces, and
this they do very often, to keep their exquisite hair in perfect
condition. Dogs enjoy wiping their coats against green grass and shrubs.

Certain animals are so fastidious that they have community
beauty-parlours! Goats, deer, giraffes, and antelopes, for example, are
very particular about their personal neatness and cleanliness, and they
come together to assist each other in making toilettes. One of the
reasons that animals suffer so much in captivity, especially when alone,
is that they have no one to help them dress, and some of them, such as
the giraffe, cannot reach all parts of their bodies. I have seen a young
guinea pig that had been rescued from a mud puddle being cleaned by both
of his parents. Water-loving animals, like the beavers, seemingly take
great pride in their toilettes, and in this respect they show more human
traits than any other animal.

It is a general belief that animals are quite care-free, and that when
they awake in the morning there is nothing for them to do but play or
wander about. This is a mistaken belief, for they have to dress
themselves, and this not only means a bath in many cases, but a
smoothing out of their fur and hair. Some are shy and seek the darkest
places to dress themselves, others, like the dog and cat, seek the
hearth. Every one has possi