The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-09-28
Instinct and Intelligence In the Lower
Animals.

Instinct In the animals is q strictly lin.
tied knowledge or intelligence sufficient
only, first, for self preservation; second,
for the propagation of the species; and
third, to secure their usefulness to man
kind.
1. Of self.preservation. Love of life
is an instinct universal in man and all
animals. The she bsar beats her cubs
and drives them up the tree at the sound
of the dogs. The "danger cry" Of the
hen sends her chickens to shelter. Not
to furnish the animsl with sufficient in
tellIgence to protect itself and its young
would have been both cruel and fatal
mistake In the Creator. This point
needs no further argument or illustra'
tion.
2. An equally fatal error would have
been not to make provision for the pro-
pagation of the species. To dc this re-
quires far more intelligence in the ami
nal than was needful for self.preserva-
tion. What man with his teeth and feet
can build birds nest Where is the
man who can with his hands construct
the delicate cells of the honey beef or
spin the attenu ated spiders line?
How each cell is measured so that all
it's sides and angles are equal. What
foreknowledge in the squirrel to provide
in Summer for the want of Winter, and
yet how indispensable ia this knowl-
edge!
There is no end of illustrations in this
line familiar to all who think at all. But
let it be remembered that no bird can
build for another. Each bee must work
in its own hive.
How could the animal kingdom be
useful to man without, first, good mem.
ory; second, a knowledge of persons
and third, aome knowledge of memory,
but all limited? I think much of the
remarkable ability of the horse and 9TH
er animals to find their way home is due
to memory.
But this does not meet every case.
Some years ago, I visited patient Blk
miles from the city; there was a private
pathway leading across field cutting off
mile to the house, shown me by the
messenger; it was Winter, and the path
could be very we'll seen. Five years
after visited the same patient in the
Summer; the way was lined on either
side by high grass and weeds SO that it
was impossible to see the path. I was
riding the same horse, and looking hope
lessly for the path, but the moment 1 got
opposite to it the horse darted from the
middle of the road and struck the path
exactly. I could not see it till 1 got
some distance in the woods and supposed
he had made mistake.
An equally important factor in the val
us of the animal to man is his recollec'
ton of persons; the dog knows every
one in the family, children and servants,
knows them day or night, knows their
names and often their voices, otherwise
be would be of no value as guard. He
would be more than useless, he would be
dangerous.
The animal, to be useful to man, must
also have some knowledge of property.
had once very clever dog. I have
seen him kill three moccasin snakes in
ten minutes; he would pick them up by
the middle, shake them violently, drop
them, pick them up again and shake them
until they were dead to do this success.
fully and safely required great dexteri-
ty. He seemed to know as we'll as did
that the bite would be fatal, and hence
he used the greatest precaution. 1 one
day threw an old basket up tree and it
lodged there. 1 tried for some time
to dislodge it with rocks and sticks,
but without success; the dog was with
me; he remained under the tree all night
and till the afternoon of the next day,
fasting and guarding my property.
The dog will take the market basket
home and guard it from robbery but to
show the distinction between instinct
and reason, if you put rocks and sticks
| into it instead of beans and beefsteak,
he will carry it to the cook all the same
We all tr1w that the shepherd dog
knows his masters sheep, and knows If
one is missing, and he will protect them
with his own life. Is not this knowledge
of property?
Dogs are very much attached to their
homes, and will make journeys of hun
dreds of miles to return to them, and by
ways that the. never travelled before.
Though carried on the cars 5OO miles
they will return, but not By the railroad
track.
MIR. Locke, in his essay on tbs "Hu-
man Understanding" gives the case of q
parrot owned by Spaniard in seaport
town in South America, which said to
her master, "What are all these officers
doing here?" The company was start
tied, and some one replied, "Aud what
are you doing here?" The parrot re-
piled, ri mind Chickens" and at once
began to cluck like hen.
a gentleman was once driving into the
country and his horse suddenly stopping
at blacksmith shop, his master said,
"What is the matter with you, Tom ?"
and an answer the uplifted hind
foot, sudden shake, and the rattle of a