The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-10-01
Instinct VS.. Intelligence.
RENIARKABfE LESSONS TAUGHT IN THE
ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE
KINGDOM.

y
ANIMAL AND yEGETABLE
KINGDOM.
1t has been but few years since man
kind was willing to admit that animals
were endowed with reason The intelli-
gent and learned, however, do admit
that some animals not only have minds
but that they reason also What NAV
be said may be the means OF inducing
many students to'take up the study Of
natural history. Such study will open
to their minds a new universe of beauty,
interest and profit. This book of nature
is open to all creatures man has not the
monopoly of this study The lower ami
mails read it and seem to understand it
much better, inxsome instances better
than the biped lnan. No barometer can
determine the temperature Of the season
as unerringly as the wild goose, and
there is no compass or needle that can
direct the course OF a pigeon while it nav
igates the air equal to its own instinct,
and in the hydraulics OF nature the bea-
yer stands the foremost of all creatures.
Instinct will no longer answer as name
for the intelligence of animals. What
shall the quality of mind be called which
enables a young pigeon, after having
been taken in atcoop 400 miles from the
cote in which twas hatched, and tossed
in the air to strike a ,bee-line direct for his
home? A dog wasssfe taken 156 miles
from Cincinnati IN Road car and set
at liberty. In less fhan three days he
had travelled the whole distance and ar
rived safely back at his masters. house.
There is a species of iishhaNSIS in our
northern lakes which seems to have most
remarkable eyes, microscopic as we'll as
telescope. Yot may often see this fel-
low early ia the morning hovering over.
the placid waters OF some lonely lake,
when he will dart off, leave the water
and take up his position upon the bare
track over which lie flew. Presently
you will see hilh leave his perch, and
with the accurs. Anll J eiodity Of an III.
row., strike the R.nlef nc lake gEasp
has furnished t1 bird with the bait to
become a succesEiliI fisherman. He has
in his throat or es0plIagus a small sack
in which he secfetes Kind Of oil. This
he drops upon the surface of the water;
the fish are attracted to it, and at once
there is greatlcommotion in the water.
The hawk, seeing this, takes advantage
of the situation and at once pounces upon
his prey.
Among the Instances OF a superior
sense in the Kingdom of the lower ami
is the turkey bpzzard. Take your po-
sition upon the REailiS Just at daybreak,
where you can Ses2 @ ians directions for
ten or fifteen inile d often further.
Presently you will discern what seems
to be small black specks, butein the
course of half an hour these speeks will
be circling high in air over the spot
where some dead brute is lying. When
you first saw the birds they were miles
away. Now, the question is, do the birds
see the animal or smellit, or both? Ger
tainly there is 40 human biped that can
distance, especially if the dead animal
birds have eyes that have the power of
the telescope .thenthe problem is solved;
if, however, the bird detects the location
of the animal by the sense, of smell, we
can hardly conceivesof olfactory nerves
OF such delicacy
The hearing.of many animals is alto
gether superior to that of man. As is
well known to all observers of nature,
the cervical genus are particularly gifted
in this way. The deer, the moose, the
caribou. antelope and gemsbock have
hearing so acute that if the wind be fa-
vorable they can hear the footsteps of
the hunter Tor miles.
While we are quite sure of our .po-
sition regarding the instinct, mind and
reason of some animals, we are not GER
tain that plants have mind and reason,
! to which instinct is so closely allied but
that they have what the world calls in
stinct there can be no question. There
is a special aquatic plant, said to grow in
/ the Island Sef Madagascar which if
planted upon he north side ola wall or
barrier, and there is stream or pool on
the opposite side within reachable dis
tance, the punt will at once bend its
steps toward the water, travel persis-
tently upsand over the wall, down on the
other side, ah1 never rest until it gets to
the water. There it stops.
Some readers have heard of the Venus
fyttrap df tae Southern States. Some
OF its leaves ere made specially for fly
catching. THIS plant secretes a sweet
fluid at the ~ 0perseason to attract flies
4 and other Insects. When they light
I upoq this resineus fluid they become en-
tangled, and 30 their struggles the trap
closes upon hem and their doom is
sealed Tho are then absorbed, uti-
lized by the Want, forming, as professor
: Gray thinks bod for the plant.