The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-09-02
MEMORY In ANIMALS
They Are Never Caught Twice In
the Same Trap.
Instances which Go to Prove That Crea-
lures of Instinct Are in Some Re
speots Wiser Than Those Pos
sessed of Reason.

The proof that experience is the guide
of life among the lower animals may |
be found very low in the scale of ami |
NAL organisms, says the Vienna Stein |
der Weiser. The razor shell, or mol |
lusk, as soon as the tide retreats, buries |
itself in the sand. often to the depth of
several feet. The fishermen who hunt
them use long, thin rod, hooked at
the end, or they sprinkle little salt in
the hole to drive out its occupant
This generally succeeds; there is a
movement in the sand, and half the
creature appears on the surface. With
a quick movement the fisherman tries
to seize him. II this fails the mollusk
vanishes into it's hole, and all the
Establishments of the fishers art would
fail to tempt him out second time-the
mollusk has profted by experience.
Similar conduct of animals which
cannot 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
a trap and fortunately regained its
freedom will profit by the experience
and beware of traps in the future The
same is true of many other animals and
the birds also. Quail which have once
been netted by the allurements of the
call" if they regain their freedom
will never be allured by it again.
Every hunter is familiar with the fact
that it is much easier to outwit young
animal than an experienced one.
Bortase tells very interesting story
of how a lobster got the better of an
oyster. The lobster several times inserted
his claws into 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 devoured
the oyster. Monkeys secure oysters by
the same trick, but there is nothing so
remarkable in that, as their intelligence
is well known
Kirby tells of the bees, that after re-
peated raids of the "death's head upon
their store they build a sort of bull
wark about the hole of entrance to
keep them out. Duges observed
spider which had seized bee from be-
hind, and thus hindered it from flying.
The stronger bee, however, had his 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 useless
in midair, and the spider clung to her
until he had accomplished his full pur-
pose.
1t is impossible to argue that these
are exceptions, which afford no proof of
general intellectual capacity of ami
mails. Every such experience is indi-
vidual, and, from the circumstances of
! it's origin, cannot 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 development. The possibilities
! of such advance 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 eXcep
tional exigencies than the lower, both
because their capacities are greater anG
because they have been more highly de
! Veloped bV q wide range of experiences