HOW ANIMALS GET HOME. 219 
I mention this incident to call attention to the alertness 
of our household pets in hearing and comprehending what 
is being said. Could not a dog on a railway remember the 
names of the towns through which he passed as they were 
ealled out by the attendants and spoken by travellers, and 
so be able to judge something of his way in return? The 
Rev. Mr. Wood snggested that the collie which returned 
from India was enabled to find the right vessel at Calcutta 
by hearing the well-known language and accent of the 
Scotch sailors; and again picked out from among many 
others the right collier in which to finish the journey, part- 
ly by remembrance of the rig, but also by recognizing the 
still more familiar and home-like dialect of the Dundee 
men. In a country where dialects are so marked as in 
Great Britain, this sort of observation would no doubt be 
of great help to an intelligent animal. Take the case of 
the Holywell workman’s dog. It is quite possible that he 
discovered the right route from Liverpool, whither it would 
not be so difficult to make his way from Manchester, by 
following some rough-tongued Welshman until he found 
himself among his own hills again. 
But there is still more to be said about this part of a 
homesick animal’s resources and ingenuity. I am firm in 
my belief that animals have a language of signs and utter- 
