The Washington bee., 1892-12-17
MEMORY or ANIMALS.
Instances Showing the Intelligence and
Development OF the Brute Creation.

Development Of the Brute Creation.
The proof that experience is the
Eguide of life among the lower animals
tmsy be found very low in the scale of
Eanimal organisms.
The razor shell, or mollusk, as soon
Jas the tide retreats buries itself in the
Esand, often to the depth of several feet.
The fishermen who hunt them use a
long, thin rod. hooked at the end, or
kthey sprinkle little salt in the hole to
drive out its occupant. This generally
succeeds there is a movement in the
ksand, and half the creature appears on
the surface. With a quick movement
the fisherman tries to seize him. If
this fails the mollusk vanishes into his
lhole, and all the Establishments of the
Fishers art would fail to tempt him out
"a second time-the mollusk has profted
by experience.
Similar conduct of animals, which
can not be regarded as other than the
result of experience, may be noted
among the most diverse species.
A fox that has once been caught in o
trap and fortunately regained his free
dom will profit by the experience and
beware of traps in the future. The
same is true of many other animals, and
Iof birds also.
Quail which have once been netted by
the allurements of the "call, if they
regain their freedom, will never be
caught by it again. Every hunter is
familiar with the fact that it is much
easier to outwit a young animal than
an experienced one.
Bortase tells very interesting story
of how lobster got the better of an
Ioyster. The lobster several times in
serted his claws in the half-opened
shell, but the oyster always closed in
time to save himself. The lobster then
seized a stone and inserted it quickly
into the cautiously opened shell and
Idevoured the oyster. Monkeys secure
Eoysters by the same trick. but there is
nothing remarkable in that, as their in
1 Ltelligence is well known.
Kirby tells of the bees that after re-
peated raids of the deaths head" upon
their store, build a sort of bulwark
about the hole or entrance to keep
them out, Duges, says the Vienna
Stein der Weiser, observed spider
which had seized bee from behind,
and thus hindered it from flying. The
stronger bee, however, had its legs
free, and walked off with the spider,
which tried to drag her into his den
The struggle lasted some time, when
the spider lowered itself with its prey
by thread. The bees legs were use
less in mid-air, and the spider clung tc
her until he had accomplished his fell
purpose.
1t is impossible to argue that these
are exceptions which afford no proof of
a general intellectual capacity of ami
mails. Every such experience is indi-
vidual, and from the circumstances OF
its origin can not extend to the species.
We must concede, too, that even among
animals there are individuals much
more highly gifted than the general run
of the species.
Innumerable instances are seen among
horses, dogs elephants and monkeys.
To deny the fact would be to deny the
capacity of animals for further develop
ment. The possibilities of such ad-
vance are of course limited, but so also
is the possibility of human advance,
although the boundary line is not yet
in sight. The higher animals are much
more ready to meet exceptional exigen-
cies than the lower, both because their
capacities are greater, and because they
have been more highly developed by a
wide range of experiences.