The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1894-09-04
Intelligence in Animal Life.

l was once the happy owner of a
watermelon patch. A flock OF crows
congregated there, and in a dispute
l was outwitted. could not leave
the melons but the best would be
taken. The crows were the best
judges; only the finest and ripest
fruit was tapped, and the seeds care
fully extracted. No scarecrow was
Of any use. One day / set to watch
them myself, and how grimly you
can imagine. But the crows settled
in an adjoining field and worked
their way through the grass and
under the rail OF the fence and re-
galed themselves on the finest and
ripest fruit, then turned the melons
carefully over so as to look as good
as new, and, when they were through,
flew away with wild, triumphant
cry that rang in my ears. Here was
a careful plan OF concerted action
fully carried out. am free to- con-
fess that l hesitate in telling this
story for fear you may doubt its ac-
curacy. In sound common sense the
crow is very closely related to man
kind. When we follow the birds
life and see it return, after its migra-
tions, year after year, to the same
spot-for birds do return; when we
see with what care the nest is build
ed, and with what vigilance it is hid
den from the eyes OF men; when we
see how tenderly the young are
watched and tended, and after long
instruction are allowed to leave the
nest-we do not see in these things
a long line OF instructive acts, but q
series Of thoughtful acts, governed
by determination to overcome OBJ
stacles that prove the birds to be
thinking as we'll as living animals.
had an ugly spider part of one
summer, and l discovered that the
spider, like the ant, was subject to
anger and melancholy. II had me
chanical skill, better known as in
genuity. This was shown in the
skill with which IL wovs its web,
using IL as pulley for carrying its
food into its net; another web was
constructed on the principle OF a
diving bell, aud used to catch its
prey. To watch this spiders web,
you would find there contrivances
for every purpose necessary to its
life. You may call Il instinct or iu-
telligence; say II was guided by in
telligence.
invaded the premises OF the lit
tie ant.lion. The little engineers
had their pit dug out, and leased
them by throwing in small seeds,
They were quickly thrown out with
force, that thay might not roll in
again. threw in another seed; aud
IL was thrown out with greater force
They seemed to resent the foreign
substances. by great good luck
caught little black beetle not larger
than the head OF pin, aud threw II
in; the antlion seized il, and after
giving IL q tremendous shaking
throw II out Of the pit. / tried yet
again to tease them by suspending q
good.sized ant by a thread so il
would Just touch the sand and roll
It into the pit; they seized the ant
and tossed 1t away, but the thread
controlled its movements aud II
swung back again over the pit
The ant.lion again seized 1t aud ap.
parently gave II jerk that tore !,
from the string, and then tossed l,
out Of the pit. Would any sane
human being acted differently II
We can ZEE intelligence in insects ",
must grant II to every living crea
ture until we reach ourselves. II q
being from another planet visitet
this earth aud unseen watched mar
IN his importance, and watched the
living creatures around him, he woulG
marvel to observe how deliberately
each creature worked for wis he'd. fol
goal, how each lived for the pleasur,
Of living. Then turning to the sacred
cities OF men would he see there 81
great q difference! Would the dit
ference not ba in degree ra, her thar
in kind! Would men and animals
DO separated by such an impassabl,
gulf2 The same motive innuenc,
may be- seen iu human aud divine
in the seen and the unseen. In tn,
insect, bird, aud mammal world tn,
same story is being told continually
and the same desire, in wisdom
fraught, to carry out the same pur
pose.-Chas. G. Abbott IN Friends In
1 4