32 WESLEY MILLS ON 



Till very recently animals below man seem to have been almost wholly neglected or 

 misunderstood in all that pertains to their psychic nature, one very obvious result of which 

 has been the inability to connect the psychic states of man with others of similar yet often 

 simpler character in lower animals; not to mention the impossibility of a science of mind 

 in general or a true understanding of the psychic side of man's nature. Studies in infant 

 psychology are of comparatively recent date, few in number and in most instances very incom- 

 plete ; while as regards animals lower in the scale such investigations are still more im- 

 perfect. 



The relations of mind and body in both health and disease have been made the subject 

 of considerable speculation, and some valuable research. But the subject is vast and will 

 unfold but slowly till our knowledge of many things is greatly increased. 



Much depends on the philosophical or scientific attitude of the worker as to the views 

 he holds on such a subject, or the interpretations he puts on observed facts. 



Nevertheless to him who can lay aside prejudices — sanctioned it may be by ages of 

 belief — it is possible to see that old interpretations fail, and that problems of the mind 

 which the world has either ignored or grappled with in vain must be attacked from new 

 standpoints. 



History and Objects of the Present Research. 



In consequence of the foregoing and many other convictions, some eight years since I 

 suggested to the students of the Faculty of Comparative Medicine and Veterinary Science of 

 McGill University the desirability of forming a society for the study of comparative 

 psychology, more especially for the study of the psychic nature of those animals with which 

 they would be professionally most brought into contact. During this period more than for- 

 merl}^ I myself bred and reared large numbers of the smaller of the domestic animals and 

 pets with a view of understanding them in all their varied aspects. 



The longer, however, I continued my studies, the more I became convinced that as in 

 every other case to succeed best, one must begin at the beginning. Accordingly I have 

 for a few years kept full and I hope accurate notes of the development, psychic and physical, 

 of individuals belonging to several different groups of the above mentioned animals. 



My purpose may be stated about as follows : — 



1. To give a detailed history of the psychic development up to a certain age of repre- 

 sentatives of several animal groups. 



2. To compare groups and individuals. 



3. To correlate the psychical and physical ; or at all events to make some attempt to 

 connect in time the psychic and physical development. 



The completion of this work will even, so far as I am able to accomplish it, take a 

 considerable time yet ; so that I shall be obliged in the present paper to confine myself to 

 one group of animals, viz., dogs, of which I have made a study during the greater part of my 

 life, and more especially within the past ten years as regards their psychic nature and cer- 

 tain other features. 



The present paper will be founded chiefly on the notes or diary of three litters of puppies, 

 two of the St. Bernard and one of the Bedlington terrier breed. 



These histories then will concern, it will be observed, only pure-bred dogs, as I have not 

 as yet similar notes on mongrels. As the dog is after the monkey more like man psychic- 



