Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-11-22
TuR E.vSTENCT OF .s.,I.u.1LS.

Mr.. ID. A. Spalding, in paper read be-
fore the British Association at MS last meet
ing, and printed in Nature, gave the re-
suits of some very interesting experiments
which he has been making with view to
solving the question whether the power Of
animals to estimate distance and perceive
direction by means of sight and hearing is
really an instructive one, or is, as some
hold, only the result of rapid learning from
experience and imitation. Against the in
stinctive character of these perceptions 1t
is argued that, as distance means move
ment, locomotion, the very essence OF the
idea is such ms cannot be taken in by the
eve or ear; that what the varying sensa-
tions of sight and hearing correspond to,
must be got at by moving over the ground
by experience. The results, however, OF
experiments on chickens were wholly in
favor of the instructive nature of these per-
ceptions. Chickens kept in a state of blind
ness by various devices, from one to three
days, when placed in the light under set
of carefully prepared conditions, gave con-
elusive evidence against the theory that
the perceptions of distance and direction
formed in the experience of each individ-
ual life. Often, at the end of two minutes,
they followed with their eyes the move
ments of crawling insects, turning their
heads with all the precision of an old fowl.
In from two TO fifteen minutes they peck
ed at some object, showing not merely an
instructive PERCEPTION of distance, but an
all a, Ia a ct
some thing like infallible accuracy. If be-
yond the reach of their necks, they walked
or ran up to the object of their pursuit, and
may be said TO rave invariably struck it,
never missing by more than n hairs
breadth; this, too, when the specks at
which they struck were no bigger than the
smallest visible dot of an l. To seize be-
tween the points of the mandible at the
very instant Of striking seemed more dit
ticult operation. Though at times they
seized and swall owed an insect at the first
attempt, more frequently they struck five
or six times, lifting once or twice before
they succeeded ia swallowing their first
food. To take, by way of illustration, the
observations on a single case little in de-
after having its eyes unveiled, followed
with its head the movements of fly twelve
inches distant at ten minutes, the fly coll-
ing within reach Of its neck, was seized
and swallowed at the first stroke; at the
end of twenty minutes ii had not attempt
cd to walk a step. 1t was then placed on
rough ground within sight and call of n
hen, with chickens of its own age. Afler
standing chirping for about a minute. IL
went straight towards the hen, displaying
as keen perception of the qualities OF the
outer world as it was ever likely to DOS
sess in aftor-life. 1t never required TO
knock its head against a stone to discover
that there was "no road that way" 1t
leaped over the smaller articles that Law in
its path, and ran round the larger, reaching
the mother In as nearly straight line as
the nature of the ground would permit.
Thus II would seem that, prior to experi-
ence, the eye-at least the eye of the chick
en-perceives the primary qualities Of the
external world all arguments of the pure
ly analytical school Of psychology TO the
contrary, Notwithstanding.
Not less decisive were experiments on
hearing. Chickens hatched and kept in
the dark for day or two, on being placed
in the light nine or ten feet from box in
which brooding hen was concealed, after
standing chirping for a minute or two, I'm
ilormly set of straight to the box in an
swer to the call of the hen which they had
never seen and never before heard. This
they did struggling through grass aud over