Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-26

Any nook where triangle will At in il
suitable and especially corner is well treated
| in this way II designed for a corner however
the table may be considerably higher than when
| it is to set out into a ROOM
| Written for The Evening Star
HOW MUCH DO ANIMALS KNOW
Some Instances of the Remarkable Intelli-
| gence OF Dogs.
TNHE STAR OF LAST SATURDAY con-
! Il tanned an article entitled Animals
Thoughts" the tenor Of which was that dogs,
horses &C.. gain little information through
the senses of seeing hearing and touch that
for their ideas of the external world they de-
pend almost exclusively upon the sense of
| smell.
| While the article in question was undoubt-
eddy correct in its conclusion that this world il
| to animal and extremely different world
from what it is to US. yet it appears that this
must be matter of degree rather thai, essen
tal and fundamental difference. For instance,
the article said that "a horse, with its disits
| imprisoned in horny hoof. is in particularly
bad case. and argues that ''as it is one of the
elementary teachings Of psychology that our
perception OF space in our vision of the world
comes TO US through our fingers" therefore
that animal can have but little idea OF distance.
Yet every observer knowA that a horse in some
way does obtain an idea of distance. and can
calculate very correctly whether au obstacle is
too high for it to leap over or a stream or gully
too broad for it to jump across.
AN INTELLIGENT PUG
Our present household pet is a pug dor-if
it be proper to call her dog-with no special
sagacity. Like most others Of her age and
sex she is great lover of candy, which seems
to indicate that the sense Of taste Is developed
along the same lines in animals and in men 1
have just shown her caramel and then sud
denly snapped it 10 the furthest corner OF the
room. She thinks ii has dropped somewhere
circle three or four feet in diameter Failing
to find 1t, she looks up into my face inGuir-
lngly. silently point to the corner Of the
room six or eight feet away. Hsr eyes follow
the direction Ill which l point and she goes
straight to the caramel. When her much
boosted nose fails her her eyes show her very
accurately the direction and distance indicated
by my finger.
SHE KNOWS WHERE HER HARNESS 49,
l say in quiet, ordinary tones, where's
your harness?' The harness is a contriyance
whereby. when che and walk abroad. pre-
vent her wandering too far away and falling
into the clutches of the do6catcher She has
such implicit faith in humanity that l have
never had the heart to explain to her the func-
tions of the dogcateher in our modern system
OF civilization. But at the word harness
she jumps from her bed, bounds into the next
room, plants herself with paws against the
wall, under where the harness hangs and turns
to me with an appealing look and bark that
asks me to take II down, fasten it about her
and accompany her in her morning walk.
THIS CANINE WAS WISE.
The last dog had before this came to me
and left me under circumstances that always
awpkena within m n If =
spending the evening at the house of his
owner, when l became acquainted with the
animal AID Expressed my admiration for his
intelligence and affection. IAN right" said
the man Of the house, you can have him, he is
of no use to us. and is eating his head Off"
Two hours later when l started to 20 home the
dog went with me. Whom opened the door
next morning what WAS my surprise to find
him on my front porch, with the evident pur-
| pose of staying-and stay he did for several
months. lie was one OF the noblest animals
| that ever male man feel ashamed when he
| recollected what race he belonged to. l can
| give but one or two illustrations out Of many
| OF his surprising intelligence.
One day my dau shter scar ching all about
| the house, inside and out, for her pet rabbit.
when the dog came up behind her. II don't
want you. she said; - want my rabbit! The
| dog left, but in less than five minutes came
again, bringing the rabbit in his mouth--hold-
ing 1t carefully so as not to harm it.
| Ono Suuuav morning 1 Iall6u TO md NV
backing brush in its usual place--on a project
| ing board in the cellar way. l commented.
| possibly IN somewhat unchristian language,
upon the melancholy fact that whenever was
| in special hurry to find anything it was rea:
| sonably certain to be some where else than in
| Its customary place. few minutes later the
| dog came up stairs, bringing in his mouth my
missing backing brush, which had fallen down
| cellar and laid 1t at my feet, wagging his tail
| with self-satisfaction at the thought of the
tears he was saving the recording angel on my
account
| DRIVEN FROM HOME.
| One afternoon lady at that time a member
Of my household on her way across the front
porch, not looking particularly where abe was
stepping, stumbled over the dog Somewhat
vsAed she exclaimed: Get out, you big brute;
you are always in the way: wish you would
| &C home and stay there" did not learn Of
her hasty remark and its results until several
| hours afterward, when l came home from my
work. On my way home l met the dog, sppar-
| emily awaiting me at the foot Of the hill, about
q quarter OF a mile from the house. petted
him for a moment and invited him to follow
me. but with an air OF quiet dignity he rejected
my invitation. l never saw him again. He did
not return to his former master. He evidently
had not forgotten how he had cast him of and
given him away.
When thinking Of this "brate," with his in
telligence, affection, self-sespect and sensitive
ness to undeserved reproach, I have often
| wondered sadly what became Of him in his de-
Ginning years-in what unshsltored nook amid
what pangs Of hunger, cold and desolation the
waning light Of that noble life went out
These are Q few of many experiences with
animals that cause me to believe that the
article copied into last Saturdays STAR was In
error in emphasizing SO sharply the difference
between the mental operations of so-called
"brutes and those of human beings. The
longer live the more strongly am convinced
that the gulf between the psychicsl opera
tons Of animals and those of man 10 narrower,
end not wider, than is commonly imagined
]. L. McCR.xRY.