The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-04-30
A A D READY
Blr John Lubbock Tells OF the progreai
Which Ills DOE In Making.

Litter 10 London Spectator.
"You did me tho honor, some weeks ago,
to insert q letter Of mine containing sug.
gestions as to q method Of studying the
psychology Of animals and a short account
Of a beginning I had mygeli made in that
direction. This letter has elected various
replies and suggestions which you will
perhaps allow INT 10 answer, and | may
also take tho opportunity OF stating the
progress which my dog Van has made,
although, owing greatly, no doubt, to my
frequent absences IRON home and the little
time l can devote to him, this haa not been
80 rapid as l doubt no. would otherwise
have been the case. Perhaps I. may just
repeat that tho essence OF my idea was to
have various words, ouch as 'iood,' bone
water out etc, printed on pieces OF card
board, and after some preliminary training,
to give the dog anything Tor Which he
asked by bringing n card. use pieceB OF
card board about ten inches long and three
inches high, placing n number Of them on
the floor, side by side, 30 that the dog has
several cards to select from, each bearings
different word.
zone correspondent has suggested that
II would be better to use ~variously Colored
cards. This might, no doubt, render the
frat steps rather more easy, but, on the
other hand, any temporary advantage
gained would be at the expense OF subse-
quent difficulty, since the pupil would very
likely by associating the object with the
color, rather than with the letters. He
would, therefore, as Is too often the case
with our OWN children, have tho nnneces.
sary labor Of uplearnipg some OF bis first
lessons. AT the same time, the experiment
would have an interest as q test Of the color.
sense in dogs.
Another suggestion has been that, in.
stead Of words, pictorial representations
should be placed on the cards. This, how.
ever, could only DO done with material oh.
jects, such as Hood, bone water etc;
and would not DO applicable to such words
rs out pet me- etc nor even as regards
the former class do ! see that 1t would pre-.
sent any substantial advantage.
Again, 1t has been suggested that Van
is led by scent rather than by sight. He
has, no doubt, an excellent nose, but in
this case he is certainly guided by the eye.
The cards are all handled by us, and must
emit very nearly the same odor. I do not,
however, rely on thia, but have in use q
number OF cards bearing tho came word.
When. Tor instance, he has brought g card
with food on it, We do not put down the
same identical card, but another with the
came word; when he has brought that, a
third is put down, and SO on. For a sin
gle meal, therefore, eight or ten cards will
have been used, and it seems clear, there
fore, that in selecting them Van must be
guided by tho letters.
"When lust I wrote, 1 had satisfied my.
self that he had learned to regard the
bringing Of a card as a request, and that he
could distinguish a card with tho word
food on it from a plain one; while I
believed that he could distinguish between
q card with food on it, aud ono with out
have no doubt that he can distinguish
between different words. For instance,
whom he is hungry he will bring q food
card time after time,S until he has had
enough, and then he lies down quietly for
a nap. Again, when l am going for a
walk, and invite him to come, he gladly
responds by picking up the out card, and
running tIiumphantly with it before me to
the front door. In the same way he
knows the bone card quite we'll.
As regards water (which I spell
Theoretically go as not to confuse
him unnecessarily, l keep a card al
ways on the floor in my d%ressing.room, and
whenever he is thirsty no coca off there,
without any suggestion from me, and
brings the card with perfect gravity. A.
thu 1atpn fSr1n ha IN fo~I IT 49, cnl 20
he is playful or excited will occasionally
run about with any card. II through in
advertence he brings q card for something
lie does not want, when the corresponding
object is ehown him, he eeizes the card,
takes it back again, and felches the right
one. No one who has seen him look along
g row Of cards, and select the right one,
can, | think, doubt that in bringing q card
no feels that he is making a request, and
that he can not only perfectly distinguish
between one word and another, but also
associates the word and tho object.
II do not for a moment say that Van
thus SHOWS more intelligence than has |
been recorded in the case o. other dogs;
that is not my point, but it does seem to
me that this method of instruction opens
out a means by which dogs and other
animals may be enabled to communicate
with US more satisfactorily than hitherto.
l am still continuing my observations, and
now considering the best mode OF test
ing him in very simple arithmetic, but I
wish | could induce others to cooperate,
for | feel Satisfied that the system would
well repay more time and attention than I
myself able to give"
NERVOUS, dyspeptic individuals. whose dis.