ii Journal of Comparative Neurology. 



The work before us and which has suggested without being re- 

 sponsible for these remarks comes in the familiar guise. Fortunately 

 it is in this case a disguise; for, without being learned, it is intelligible, 

 and its author knows enough not to foist upon us a nondescript psy- 

 chology or fairy story of animal intelligence based on human con- 

 sciousness and imagination. He writes with a settled purpose not to 

 attribute motives to animals on the insecure basis of human analogy 

 and we think he succeeds pretty well unless perhaps in those cases 

 where long personal contact (as with the puma) has promoted the 

 growth of an unconscious anthropomorphic ideal. 



The materials are necessarily at second hand for a large part, but 

 the selection is wide enough and intelligent enough to enable one to 

 " sift the lie " from much of it. The description of habits is full and 

 mostly good. Biological details otherwise are less happy and the 

 psychological analysis scanty and not very satisfactory. There is 

 sufficient incident to redeem the book from dullness and the illustra- 

 tions are chiefly from photographs. Half-tones are not art and we 

 have none of the fire of Specht but some elements of truth which 

 chill one like the photographs of a race horse. Such illustrations are 

 a hybrid between science and art and serve their purpose until a better 

 thing — scientific art — shall appear. 



There is much which is eminently quotable in the volume and we 

 reproduce some passages which will convince the zoological reader 

 that he can well afi^"ord to examine the book at length. The compara- 

 tive psychologist will find considerable material gathered for his use 

 and will understand how to make any necessary allowances. 



Respecting the elephant we^read "It is no longer said that ele- 

 phants who, to use Colonel Barras' words, 'are practically sterile in 

 captivity,' are so because of their modesty, or that this is attributable 

 to a nobleness of sou! which prevents them from propagating a race 

 of slaves. Men would now be ashamed to say they are monotheists 

 and retire to solitudes to pray. But so little of comparative psychol- 

 ogy is known, and the side lights which other sciences thow upon 

 zoology are so much disregarded, that no hesitation is felt at compar- 

 ing them with human beings, or measuring the faculties and feelings 

 of a (Deast by standards set u[) in civilized society." While essentially 

 a social animal with family units the author thinks the evidence for 

 hermit or rogue elephants is too strong to be disregarded. Moreover 

 the animal is subject to insanity, exhibiting in such cases "all the fea- 

 tures which form the characteristic physiognomy of mania." Ele- 



