The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-08-22
DR.. H0RNADAY ON
NATURE WRITERS,
Scientist Says Animals Disprove
Both Burroughs and Long.
REASONING ABILITY LIMITED.

REASONING ABILITY llMI lEU.
But Director Of Bronx Zoo Asserts
That Animals Do Reason-Experi-
enees With Beasts That Throw Light
on Burroughs Theory Of Instinct.
Whether animals have the almost
superhuman intelligence with which
some nature writer's endow them or
whether they are creatures purely Of
instinct, without individuality or rea-
soning powers, as John Burroughs as
serts, is problem that can be finally
solved only by the animals themselves.
| If one could see DR.. Longs marvellous
woodcock putting its wounded leg In
splints or his oriole exhibiting the deft-
ness of a sailor in the making Of knots
| in the construction Of its nest or his
| friendly wolves or his sagacious pet
coon the controversy would be easily
and quickly settled. These; particular
animals, however, are not at present In
q position to bear witness for the ben
eft Of the public to their own e1traor-
dinary mental attainments, and the
question therefore remains to find some
| of their kindred of the wild to testify
for them.
DR.. William T. Hornaday, director
Of the Bronx park zoo at New YORK.
| the scientist and collector who has
| made the ZOO what it is and who has
spent the last thirty-two years In the
study. Of every variety Of animal life
| as it is found in captivity and In the
| jungles and waste places Of nearly ev-
ery continent Of the world. was asked
these questions by reporter of the
New York Times who interviewed him
at the ZOO:
"Have the animals in the zoo any
! light to throw on this subjectT'
care we to believe these stories OF
DR.. Long or are we to conclude with
Mr.. Burroughs that animals are never
gifted with a reasoning intelligence
and that hence what Is told about them
by the nature writer's is of necessity
| incredible?"
81 have heard many animal stories
during my travels" said DR.. Hornaday
reminiscently, "quite as remarkable as
these which are vouched for by DR..
Long. For instance, 1 remember the
yarn of q man down in Demerara-an
| educated fellow he was, too, and with
a reputation for reliability-who as
sured me that one evening while he
was padding up stream not far from
| the seashore creature with long hair
flowing from its head, with white arms
and fsh's tail, rose from the water,
clutched the side Of his boat and gazed
long and earnestly at him and then
sank back into the waves, emitting as
it did so a wall Of human agony and
despair. Pathetic, wasn't 1t? And
the truth of the story was most SOL
emnly vouched for and was believed
by most of the people in that vicinity.
I'm all my experiences as collector
in various parts of the world / have
found any number Of men Of this kind,
men who have an inexhaustible fund
of wild animal stories and who make
it their business to tell them to who
ever will listen. Do I believe them
Well, understand that DR.. Long says
that whenever story is told to him
in good faith be feels he is in duty
bound to believe it. That is simple
rule, but it has its disadvantages If
one cares to sustain a reputation for
reliability among scientists"
"You don't believe, then, in the sto-
ries told by DR.. Long which the presi-
dent and Mr.. Burroughs have charac-
terized as untrue?'
81 believe in them just as much as
do in the existence Of the Demerarra
mermaid. DR.. Long is most fascinat-
ing talker, and. whether he believes in
his own yarns or not, he seems to
have the faculty Of making other peo-
pie believe them, but-just let me say
this:
"To all persons. young and old, who
are interested in nature, who desire to
learn what is true, wish to express
my belief that DR.. Long is the most
visionary writer who has ever appear
ed before the American public in the
guise Of a naturalist. Any man with
unlimited capacity for swallowing as
gospel truth every silly story that Is
told to him by the animal liars Of this
world is to be pitied, but when any
man combines with limitless gullibility
as DR.. Long appears to do, vaulting
imagination which places upon the acts
Of wild creatures only the most far
fetched and wonderful interpretations
he is to be feared and avoided, and
President Roosevelt and Mr.. Bur
roughs are to be congratulated on hav-
ing shown him up in his true light to
the public"
"You believe, then, with Mr.. Bur
roughs, that animals are without a
reasoning intelligence; that they act
entirely from instinct and are devoid
of anything like individuality"
"Oh, no, I don't-very far from it!'
was the laughing rejoinder. "When