INSTINCT AND INTELLIGENCE. 



59: 



start at the sound of the car-bell, and I once saw an obstinate horse, 

 which had resisted every other means of persuasion, start at the 

 sound of the bell and get the car fairly under way before he had time 

 to think what he was doing. 



Every one remembers the story of the old pensioner who received 

 the command "Attention " from a by-stander while he was returning 

 from market with his dinner in his hand. At the word of command 

 lie instantly and mechanically dropped his dinner in the mud, and took 

 the proper position. Occasionally in man, and quite frequently in 

 other animals, these habits of long standing are transmitted to the 

 next generation, and, as they are then independent of individual ex- 

 perience, they are true instincts. Although the art of writing is not 

 inherited, the particular style of handwriting is very often hereditary. 

 The act of pointing or setting in dogs would be a great disadvantage 

 to wild animals, and there is every reason to believe that it has been 

 very recently acquired by a few breeds of domestic dogs ; yet it is 

 frequently inherited in its highly-developed form, and the transmis- 

 sion of a slight tendency in this direction appears to be general. The 

 following seems to be an instance of the appearance in the second 

 generation, as an instinct, of an acquired habit. A correspondent of 

 Nature says : 



" A few years ago I bought in Skye a perfectly uneducated Skye-terrier. 

 The first accomplishment which I taught him was that of ' sitting up ' an 

 accomplishment which he had great difficulty in acquiring. This was not owing 

 to any stupidity on his part, for when he had once passed over this pons asino- 

 rum of dog-performances, he proved to be a very clever animal, and learned 

 many other tricks with great ease. He appears never to have forgotten the 

 pains which were taken to teach him his first trick, and to have judged there- 

 from that there is great merit in sitting up. Not only does he rely upon this as 

 a last resource to move me to take him out, or not to whip him, but he judges 

 that it must soften the heart of an India-rubber ball. Sometimes, when an- 

 noyed at his playing with this, his favorite plaything, I have placed it on a 

 chimney-piece, and turned ray attention elsewhere. 



" On looking round again, I have seen my dog sitting up to the India-rubber 

 ball, evidently hoping that it would jump down and play with him again. My 

 dog is now the father of a family, and one of his daughters, who has never 

 seen her father, is in the constant habit of sitting up, although she has never 

 been taught to do so, and has never seen others sit up. She is especially given 

 to this performance when any other dog is being scolded. 



" Whether this is an instance of helping a fellow-animal, of which Mr. Dar- 

 win gives so many curious examples, or whether the dog simply hopes to avert 

 the storm from her own head, the fact appears to me patent that this dog has 

 inherited the impression that sitting up has some special virtue for turning away 

 wrath." 



A little higher than the habitual actions are tliose which are so 

 complicated, or occur so rarely, or depend upon such delicate combi- 

 nations of conditions, that they never become habitual that is, they 

 VOL. XI. 38 



