The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-06-07
FOR LAY SCIENTISTS
EXPERIMENTS ON THE REASON
 OWING POWER OF DOGS.
The Animals Idea of Joke-Vital- ity of Seeds-Theory that They Live for Centuries Secuted
 Proof to the Contrary.

Experiments on the reasoning power of dogs, made by Dr. Alexander Hill of Downing College Lodge, Oxford, Eng land. are explained in detail in Nature as follows:
 An exceptionally intelligent fox terrier was taught to open a box by lifting a wooden latch with its nose. Some care was spent upon the design of this box The latch was in the first instance long. and therefore easily lifted. Behind the door was placed spiral spring. which could be twisted until it exerted any de- gree of pressure which seemed desirable As the dog learned to lift the latch the length of the latch was curtailed. At the same time the spring was frightened until 1t pressed against the door with a degree of force which made the latch so stiff that the dog could not lift 1t with out deliberate effort. There was no risk of its being opened by a chance move ment The dog was rewarded with food for performing the trick which soon be- came so familiar as to be a game. As often as the door was closed the dog opened 1t. If he found the box on the floor he invariably opened 1t without waiting for any sign. Frequently he ex- amined the interior of the box when he had opened 1t. but food was never placed inside 1t. One evening after the trick
 
 in order that the dogs almost ridiculous familiarity with it might be noted, Peter was sent to bed without his supper He is fed but once a day.
 Next morning a hot grilled bone was placed in the box. The box was placed In a small yard surrounded by the house. The 'bootroom' opens into the yard on one side and into a passage on the other. After the dog had had a run in the gar l NRsA s.,.- was opened, We were watching the ward from an upber window. Two minutes af- ter entering the bootroom Peter smelled the bone. ran through into the yard and approached the box. When he saw the latch he ducked his head as if intending to lift it. but desisted. He then sniffed excitedly at the box and pushed 1t with his nose. He returned to the bootroom. After few minutes he came out again Into the yard and sniffed in the same way at the box. Twice he pushed the latch from behind but did not put his head beneath 1t. After a while he re- turned to the bootroom and showed no signs of revisiting the box. He was then taken for twelve-miIe run in the coun- try. As he seemed to be tired when ne reached home he was left for half an hour in the bOotroom to rest. After run in the garden, he was readnlitted to the DOOIfOOfn, Wltn the yarQ uOOr opened. Tnluckily the wind blew the door too before Peter had gone into the yard. Af- ter we had watched for some time my son went to see what had happened opened the door and pushed the dog through it. backwards. He went straight to the box, lifted the latch in the most business-like way, and took out the bone.
 ''The experiment was repeated a fort night later with identical results. The dog ran into the yard. snifred the box. pushed 1t with his nose, was very eager to get the meat but this time he showed no sign of remembering the way to open the box He returned a second time. and then desisted altogether. During the morning the dog remained about the house. He constantly asked to be admit ted to the boot room. and showed in the clearest manner that he remembered that the grilled bone was to be found that way. At F o'clock the door was opened l0r him. He went straight through into
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