A GREAT ERROR 143 



the sinking sun has neither rushed in nor out, on 

 all the wide landscape round no change of light 

 and shade has fallen, and other bands of moving 

 birds maintain their uniform hue. Obviously the 

 effect has been due to a sudden change of angle in 

 each bird's body, in regard to the light — as when 

 one rustles a shot-silk dress— and this change has 

 shot, in the same second of time, through myriads of 

 bodies. Sometimes the light of the sky will show, 

 suddenly, like so many windows, through a multi- 

 tude of spaces, which seem to be at a set and 

 regular distance from one another ; and then, again, 

 be as suddenly not seen, the whole mass becoming 

 opaque to the eye, as before. Here, again, the effect, 

 which is beautiful, can only be produced by a certain 

 number of the birds just giving their wings a slant, 

 or otherwise shifting their posture in the air, all at 

 the same instant of time. This, at least, is the only 

 way in which I can explain it. 



What the nature of the psychology is, that directs 

 such movements, that allows of such a multitudinous 

 oneness, must be left to the future to decide ; but to 

 me it appears to offer as good evidence for some form 

 of thought-transference — containing, moreover, new 

 points of interest — as does much that has been col- 

 lected by the Psychical Research Society, which, in 

 its investigations, seems resolved to treat the universe 

 as though man only existed in it. This is a great 

 error, in my opinion, for even if greater facilities 

 for investigation are offered by one species than by 

 any other, yet the general conclusions founded on 

 these are almost certain to be false, if the com- 

 parative element is excluded. How could we have 



