64 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



we disposed of him, two years later. These paroxysms would, at 

 times, gain such complete control of his mind as to either paralyze or 

 pervert all his physical senses. 



The first one that I observed was brought on by the falling of a 

 stick in the stove, back of which he was sleeping. Whereupon he 

 started up, and commenced barking violently at a small leaf that was 

 lying on the floor, every now and then making a dash toward it, after 

 which he would retreat in the greatest terror. Then he would crawl 

 slowly toward it again, and when he came within reach would strike 

 at it with one of his fore-paws, drawing the paw back quickly with a 

 little yelp, and then carefully looking it over as if to find an imagined 

 injury, and licking it. 



While the leaf was in the room he appeared to be entirely insensi- 

 ble to feeling or sound. Severe blows were administered with a stout 

 stick, but they produced no more impression than if they had fallen 

 upon the floor. He did not shrink, nor even by the slightest tremor 

 give any indication that pain accompanied their infliction. Neither 

 would he pay any attention to commands that were given in a loud 

 voice close to his ear, although he had always shown himself obedient 

 to any commands that he could understand ; nor would any other 

 sound, no matter how loud, cause him to make the slightest motion 

 indicating that he had heard it. 



After this his peculiar mental condition became more noticeable ; 

 the most trivial circumstance would sometimes be sufficient to destroy 

 his mental equilibrium. A slight noise might bring on one of his 

 paroxysms ; but, singularly, it would generally have no effect unless it 

 proceeded from the kitchen, which seemed to be to him a haunted 

 chamber. Often in passing through the room he would cringe and 

 put his tail between his legs. 



At other times he would fix his eyes upon a spot on the ceiling or 

 in a corner, or upon a towel hung up to dry, and would retreat from 

 the object upon which his gaze was fixed, with dilated pupils and 

 every other sign of intense fear of the imaginary " ghost." At these 

 times his senses, instead of being simply deadened, were generally 

 active, but in a perverted condition. If he was struck by a person 

 behind him, instead of shrinking away, he would give a start toward 

 the person who had struck him. Likewise a sudden noise, as the 

 stamping of a foot, no matter from what part of the room it came, 

 would invariably cause him to retreat violently from the imaginary 

 object of his terror. He was apparently so prepossessed by one idea 

 for the time being that, to his perverted senses, every noise was made 

 and every blow was struck by the object which had excited him. 



Sometimes he w^ould stand on his hind legs and, directing his at- 

 tention to the middle of the ceiling, would retreat backward, barking 

 violently all the while. Then, seeming to be entirely mastered by his 

 terror, he would drop on all-fours and run out of the house at full 



