The Project Gutenberg EBook of Stories of Animal Sagacity, by W.H.G. Kingston

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Title: Stories of Animal Sagacity

Author: W.H.G. Kingston

Illustrator: Harrison Weir

Release Date: October 17, 2007 [EBook #23067]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES OF ANIMAL SAGACITY ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Stories of Animal Sagacity, by W.H.G. Kingston.

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This is rather a charming book, with amusing illustrations. There are
numerous tales of how clever various individual animals have been seen
to be, and in most cases a little moral is drawn from the story.

We have Cats, Dogs, Horses, Oxen, Donkeys, Elephants, Wild Animals and
Birds.

Any of us who have ever had pets can recall how clever they have been on
occasion. I wish Kingston could see those shots on television of
squirrels who have learnt to get a few free nuts if they perform some
subtle series of tasks, such as jumping from obstacle to obstacle. I
have only to look out of the window here to see birds building their
nests or guarding their young; in fact I can tell quite enough of what
is going on in the street outside, by taking note of the various birds'
alarm calls.

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STORIES OF ANIMAL SAGACITY, BY W.H.G. KINGSTON.

CHAPTER ONE.

CATS.

I have undertaken, my young friends, to give you a number of anecdotes,
which will, I think, prove that animals possess not only instinct, which
guides them in obtaining food, and enables them to enjoy their existence
according to their several natures, but also that many of them are
capable of exercising a kind of reason, which comes into play under
circumstances to which they are not naturally exposed.

Those animals more peculiarly fitted to be the companions of man, and to
assist him in his occupations, appear to possess generally a larger
amount of this power; at all events, we have better opportunities of
noticing it, although, probably, it exists also in a certain degree
among wild animals.

I will commence wit