COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY 41 
Numerous reports from the sites of recent earthquake 
shocks by observers of unquestionable reliability have 
shown that many different. kinds of animals were 
sensible of something abnormal, which caused in them 
manifestations of uneasiness or fear, some seconds before 
anything unusual was noticed by man. As I hope to 
show on some other occasion, such indications of acute 
sensibility, on close observation, throw much light on 
certain vexed questions in the science of Comparative 
Psychology. 
Among wild animals we have had several short but 
interesting communications on the gopher of the 
prairies; also a very carefully prepared paper from 
Mr Harris, giving the results of his own investigations 
of the beaver and his work in the Canadian North- 
West.* Confirmations of these observations and addi- 
tions thereto were offered by another member who had 
much experience of life on the prairies. It becomes 
very clear that the beaver is not enly an animal of 
strongly pronounced instincts, but of great capacity to 
adapt itself to circumstances (plasticity of instinct, etc.). 
I again raise the question: What is the mental differ- 
ence between the performances of the beaver and those 
of a man with marked genius for engineering operations, 
apart from all training? Only prejudice can prevent 
us seeing that this is a case of the highest suggestive- 
ness, and it is, to me, replete with instruction. The 
time would fail me to attempt to even indicate to you 
how far-reaching is such an enquiry. I cannot help 
thinking that man would both understand himself 
better and have a truer insight into the inner life of the 
so-called inferior animals if he could get rid of some 
of his conceit, and regard himself rather as of, than 
* This paper has since been published, by request of the editor, in 
the Canadian Journal of Fabrics. 
