48 THE DESCENT OF MAN. Part I. 



Mr. Colquhoun 16 winged two wild-ducks, which fell 

 on the opposite side of a stream ; his retriever tried to 

 bring over both at once, but could not succeed ; she 

 then, though never before known to ruffle a feather, 

 deliberately killed one, brought over the other, and re- 

 turned for the dead bird. Col. Hutchinson relates that 

 two partridges were shot at once, one being killed, the 

 other wounded ; the latter ran away, and was caught by 

 the retriever, who on her return came across the dead 

 bird ; " she stopped, evidently greatly puzzled, and 

 " after one or two trials, finding she could not take it up 

 " without permitting the escape of the winged bird, she 

 " considered a moment, then deliberately murdered it 

 " by giving it a severe crunch, and afterwards brought 

 " away both together. This was the only known in- 

 " stance of her ever having wilfully injured any game." 

 Here we have reason, though not quite perfect, for the 

 retriever might have brought the wounded bird first 

 and then returned for the dead one, as in the case of 

 the two wild-ducks. 



The muleteers in S. America say, "I will not give 

 " you the mule whose step is easiest, but la mas rational, 

 " — the one that reasons best ; ,: and Humboldt 17 adds, 

 "this popular expression, dictated by long experience, 

 " combats the system of animated machines, better per- 

 " haps than all the arguments of speculative j)hilosophy." 



It has, I think, now been shewn that man and the 

 higher animals, especially the Primates, have some few 

 instincts in common. All have the same senses, intui- 

 tions and sensations — similar passions, affections, and 

 emotions, even the more complex ones ; they feel 



16 'The Moor and the Loch,' p. 45. Col. Hutchinson on ' Dog 

 Breaking,' 1850, p. 46. 



17 'Personal Narrative,' Eng. translat., vol. iii. p. 106. 



