Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-04-11
Animal Logic.

From Mrs Cashel Hoey's Book Cats
Every day, after breakfast, l made II rule to
throw bit of bread into an adjoining room as
far off as could, so as to induce my cat to run
amer 1t as 1t rolled away. This custom kept
up for several months, and the cat always re-
garded that piece of bread as the tit-bit of its
dessert Even after it had eaten meat it would
await with attentive interest the minute when
II was TO start in pursuit of the morsel of soft
bread One day held the coveted scrap in nv
hand and swung 1t about for a long time, while
the cat eyed ii with "A kind Of patient eagerness,
and then, instead of throwing it into the next
room threw 1t behind the upper portion of q
picture which slightly inclined forward
from the wall. The surprise OF the cat who
closely following my movements, had observed
the direction in which threw the bread, and
It's disappearance. was extreme. The uneasy look
OF the animal indicated its conscious
ness that a material object traversing
some time the cat considered the
matter then IL started off into the next room,
eyihaentIy guided by the reflection that the piece
OF bread having disappeared, it must have gone
through the wall But the bread had not gone
through the wall and the cat returned disap-
pointed. The animals logic was at fault 1
again attracted its attention by nv gestures
and sent second piece of bread to join the first
upon a divan and went straight to the hiding
place Having inspected the frame on both
.ass 1t began TO maneuver so dexterously with
- paw that Ii shifted the lower edge of the pic
Ire away from the wall, and thus got at the
SEQ pieces of bread.
recorded similar observation Respecting "a
IaVorite female cat, and advances 1t as proof of
consecutive and conclusive reasoning on the
part of the animal. II noticed" SAYS Baron
Won Gieichen, that she was constantly looking
at herself in the glass. retreating from her own
Image and running back TO 1t again, and espe-
cially scratching ut the frames, for all NV
glasses were inserted in panels. This suggested
70 me the idea of placing a toilet mirror in the
mlodie OF the room, so that my cat might have
the pleasure of examining Ii all round. She be-
sah oy making sure 10y approaching and with
oraWing as usual) that she was dealing with
glass ike the others. She passed behind IL
several Times, more quickly each time; but
seeing tnat she could not get at this cat, which
was always too quick for her, she placed herself
~ tne edge OF the mirror, and looking alter
nateiy on one side and the other, she made
quite sure that the cat which she had lust seen
MMsieheI was nor had been behind the mirror
linen she arrived at the conclusion that the cat
was Inside IT. But how did she proceed to test
snls conclusion, the last that remained to her?
Aeepiny her place at the edge Of the mirror she
fose on her nlnd feet and stretched out her fore
paws 70 feel the thickness of the glass. then
aware that II dld not afford sufficient space To
contain cat, she withdrew dejectedly Being
convinced that the matter In question was
phenomenon impossible for her TO discover he
cause II was outside the circle Of her ideas. she
never again looked in any glass; but at once re-
bounced an object which had vainly excited
hog curiosity" o-~-'s~