The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-30
Wifl'geesEaglr
SENSE OF DIRECTION.
The Strange Faculty Possessed by Some
the Lower Animals.

Its well known that any one of our do
meStlc animals can find its way home
from a distance of many miles, ever
after the lapse of some time. This fac
nlty is perhaps oftenest seen in the
dog, the horse and the cat, but is
known to be almost or quite as fully
developed in the OK. The faculty has
been supposed by some naturalists tc
depend upon sixth sense, independent
of sight or smell. Such a theory in.
wolves an organ of sense by which the
needed observations may be carried to
the brain; an organ which must be dis.
tinct from eye. ear and nostril. Physi.
oiogists have not, as yet, found any
such organ in the constitution of any
animal, nor have they found any nerves
different from those which belong to
Dur own nervous system. This is al
most conclusive evidence that animals
possess no sense different from ours.
IT we watch the conduct of n dog
when ne is thrown upon his own re-
sources to find his way home, we shall
Gee that he has made good use of his
irlve senses up to this time. and that ne
purposes to make good use of them in
the immediate future. 1t is always as
Sumed that the dog has not slept dur
ing the time that he has been carried
from home. If he were to sleep he
would lose all clew whether he had a
sixth sense or not, for in sleep all the
SENSES are equally dormant.
The case has been submitted of a dog
taken by rail a distance of two hun
dred miles in circuitous course and
set down fifty miles from home. He
disappears, and the next day is az his
old haunts. He could not have fol-
lowed the rail by which he came, for
this would take him longer time. He
must have struck across country.
The question is did he take direct
line for home, or did he shape his gen
eral course SO as to come upon some
familiar spot, miles, it may be. from
his home. and from that point follow
remembered paths? Hunters say that
the latter is most frequently the case.
Suppose that in the dog 5 absence the
old home had been burned down and
his masters family have removed five
miles to the right or left, but are at the
same distance from the point at which
he was set down. He will go back to
the old spot, and from there he will
trace the family by scent, if he traces
them at all. He has no sense to inform
him of the changed position of the
family, nor of anything more than
would be known TO a man in the same
circumstances
But the case is made clearer by sup
posing that the dogs master had left
home, gun in hand, while the dog had
been detained for "A time. The man
goes straight to the woods, but after
getting out of sight. makes turn so
as to bring him to the opposite side of
the house. If now the dog is let loose,
he takes to the woods at the place
where he saw his master enter From
there he trusts 10 his eyes and nose,
keeping close upon his master trail
If the dog had a special sense of di-
rection, he would not SO easily be
thrown off the pursuit of deer or a
fox by the animal taking to the water
Every species of animal that has been
made the prey of dogs Jas learned to
battle pursuit by deceiviry the sight or
scent of its pursuers. Such creatures
would have been likely to find out be
fore this time if the dog had any special
sense. and we should see them acting
upon the knowledge.
The most interesting and perplexing
eases are those in which animals that
H. l.ap +at-
home in closed cages have yet found
their way back without difficulty. This
SHOWS "A highly developed sensitiveness
80 every change of direction
This faculty of perception is low in
man. but may be developed and trained.
There are persons who sleep best with
head towards the north. Let such
person when travelling on a sleeping
car make il a point to decide upon the
course the train is going as soon as he
wakes from sleep in the night, and he
will find himself rapidly gaining new
power to determine directions
Darwin's experiment is an interest
ing one He put some bees in dark
paper boxes and carried them by cir
cuitous route distance from the hive
When they were set free, they all re-
turned in a straight line to their home.
Again he took them over a similar
route, but on the way he spun the
boxes rapidly round. This time only
one or two bees reached the hive. and
perhaps these got back only by acct
dent. While spinning round in the
boxes they lost perception of the direc-
tion in which they were being carried.
Ii is often observed that when a dog
returns home 10y way which he must
have made out with care and on his
own account he at once throws himself
upon the floor or the ground and sleeps
soundly for a time. This is apt to be
to physical exhaustion, but is
more likely to be due to the fact that
the animal has kept his faculties all on
the alert, and has quickened his per-
ceptions To their difficult task. All our
domestic animals show wonderful pow
err of application when their faculties
are bent To the accomplishments Of some
cherished design COMPANION.
More Gracious Than Men.
Ledyard. the great traveller. says that
among all nations women adorn them.
selves more than men. but wherever
found they are the same kind. civil. HUI
name and tender beings. inclined To he