Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-07-30
0he family Circle.
Reason in Animals.


to this and similar subjects that we may
be pardoned for adding another instance
OF the power in question. Nellie is a
Pomeranian dog about thirteen months
old. She was given to her present mis-
tress six months ago, and the attempts
that had been made to educate her had
all resulted in failure She had not even
been properly instructed in the ordinary
amenities Of life, as found in dogs who are
inmates OF our city houses. Under these
circumstances her mistress took her ed
ucation in hand, and by judicions system
of rewards, and rarely of punishments,
soon taught her the ordinary accomplish
ments OF sitting up, and walking on her
hlnd-legs about the room, BY degrees
her attachments increased in number, and
now during dinner she stays under her
mistress's chair, and when the order is
given to get her table-cloth she brings a
newspaper which is kept in the corner OF
the room, spreads it out, and sits while her
mistress prepares her food in a saucer,
which is then placed on the newspaper -
but Nellie does not touch it until her mis-
tress gives the signal by counting one, two,
three.
From the account we have given it will
be seen that Nellie is dog of concider
able intelligence, and even possesses a
mathematical mind. 1t is possibly this
latter gift that has enabled her to show
the evidences of reasoning power we pro-
pose to relate. Four or five times each
day, for about week, Nellie had carried
messages to her master that were written
on old envelopes, and generally received
something to take back in return. She
had therefore learned that if she delivered
an envelope she received something
Lunch being served on one occasion in the
library, Nellie sat up and begged for su-
gar that happened to be on the table that
failing, she stood up then she tried sit
ting up again, but without success. She
then seemed to think for moment, and as
the result of her cogitations went straight
to the wastepaper basket, picked out an
old envelope, and presented it to her mis-
tress, evidently in the hope that she would
receive what she desired, and so earned
her piece of sugar.
1t may be said that in this instance ap-
elite gave the stimulus, and otherwise she
would not have exerted what certainly ap-
pears to be reasoning faculty. To meet
this objection We give another instance.
Nellie always comes down the hall-stair-
way to meet her master on his return home.
and after greeting him races off to the
front room for his slippers, and brings
them to the head of the stairway. A
recent attack of illness having confined
her master to the house for fortnight,
Nellie was in high glee until he went out
for the first time after convalesence, when
she was greatly distressed, and watched
him from the open window as long as he
was in sight; when he finally disappeared
she gave dispairing yelp, and racing off
to the place where the slippers were kept,
snatched one in her mouth, and, leaping
on chair, held it out of the window as
far as she could reach, and whined pit
eously, evidently, hoping that if the mas
ter saw the slipper it would induce him to
return. In this instance there is certain
ly nothing satisfactory in resortiDg to in
stlnct for an explanation the act was evi.
IDENTIFY the result Of a true reasoning pro-
cess, prompted not by an greet but an
almost human affection and attachment
Nature and Science; Scribner's for Juby