The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-12
ManyAnimals
Show Keenest
Perception
Even the Lower Forms Can
Discriminate Between II
and Sensation.
ny DR.. l.. X. HIRsHBERG.

the philosophy which hold,
that the brute cannot tbirl
reason. Judge or ac, with %
right VIII. but fresh experiment.
about to be published hy n hos, -
Investigators show that bats and ra,s
cats and dogs, rabbits and CASTRO.
pods Holsters and mussels can die.
criminate between sensations and p.r.
ceptions easily. DR.. X. S. Iash,a,, r..
,he JOINS Hopkins University labora.
tories OF psychology, for invance. re-.
ports that the whiskers in the white
rat are used only like the emergency
brake Of IL motor car, when all e,se
fails.
In n crystal maze without waI,s
h whiskers OF the rat are brousb,
into use to help the animals feel ,or
corners and edges as well az turns
They serve as the source OF irrita-
tons to make the animals muscles
guide him properly.
DR.. Vincent. the investigator O.. m,
rats whiskers used a box with throe
alleys In II, so arranged that any one
OF these alleys could be filed with
rough. corrugated walls. while the
two others remained smooth.
Healthy rats soon learned TO dis
eliminate and choose the rough SUI
faces. on the other hand rats with
out whiskers and n~on-sensitive nose
as the result Of operations on the
nerves failed to select the right path
ways
Snails n their pow or OF percen.
ton and choice were also investigated.
II was found that snai.s respond TO
light, t. touch, to pressure, TO d.
ferent chemicals, hut DO not seem -
hear at all. on the other hand. rah-
bits were discovered to have an acute
n OF hearing, which. like mans. Is
aided by rotation Of the heal and the
ears in the direction Of the sound.
Drs. Turner and Schwarz devoted
their work 10 researches upon the
senses of moths. some varieties Of
moth show that they can distinguish
between sounds Of high pitch, but 10
not ever hear basso or low pitched
notes Of 256 vibrations. The cNper.-
ments were carried nut with moths at
rest upon three trunks. one of the
eXperimenters stood bohini the tree,
the other observed the actions Of the
moths from some distance.
To a siren whistle the moths re-
spond by either tapping and vibrating
their wings or taking flight. To deep
sounds they show no signs, hut to
medium ones they can he taught
gradually t. hear and respond.
Siikworm moths confined in the lab
oratory seerai 70 learn TO hear more
ished 10y rough handling after the low
sounds We're made, and in this way
were trained 10 answer a noise or tone
struck by Tapping their wings To- ire
rate of the note struck. Thus they
acquired IN ~acuteness Of auditory ca.
pacity equal to the human ear.
Prof. S~herrington investigated The
perception of sounds by cats from
which the brains were removed ny
operation. From one 90 four hours
after the operations the animals We're
stimulated by whist,!nG. horns, bark
ing Of DOGS, howls, shouts and linking
Of cymhals and metallic instruments
The cats seemed To hear as well a. Z
they had brains. This was shown by
rricking UP the ears, turning ~
heads, bending or extending the ,ett
and lashing the tail.
Moreover. brainless animals were
able To discriminate between difer'H.
kinds Of sounds, as was shown 50
whistling or barking like dogs, coaN,n-
or meowing like cats. They also .n.
Gated the noise by always turning me
~ " ~ -,.-- 80 eLu.-rl