Mental Processes in Animals. 365 



I believe that the dog performs this action through in- 

 telligence, and that man explains it by reason. The dog 

 has presumably had frequent experience of the effect of 

 the stream in carrying him with it. He has been carried 

 beyond the landing-place, and had bother with the mud ; 

 but when he has entered the stream higher up, he has 

 nearly, if not quite, reached the landing-stage. His keen 

 perceptions come to his aid, and he adjusts his action nicely 

 to effect his purpose. 



On the bank sits a young student watching him. He 

 sees in the dog's action a problem, which he runs over 

 rapidly in his mind. Velocity of stream, two miles an 

 hour. Width, -one-eighth of a mile. Dog takes ten 

 minutes to swim one-eighth of a mile. Distance flowed 

 by the stream in ten minutes, one-third of a mile. Clever 

 dog that! He allows just about the right distance. A 

 little short, though ! Has rather a struggle at the end. 



The dog intelligently performs the feat ; the lad reasons 

 it out. 



I do not know whether I am making my point suffi- 

 ciently clear. A wanton boy is constantly throwing stones 

 at birds and all sorts of objects. He does not know much 

 about the force of gravitation or the nature of the curve 

 his stone marks out ; but he allows pretty accurately for 

 the fall of the stone during its passage through the air. 

 He acquires a catapult ; and, being an intelligent lad, he 

 perceives that he must aim a little above the object he 

 wishes to hit. This is a perceptual inference. Reason 

 may subsequently step in and explain the matter, or very 

 possibly, being human, sparks of reason fly around his 

 intelligent action. 



Am I using the word "reason" in an unnatural and 

 forced sense ? I think not. My use is in accord with the 

 normal use of the word by educated people. Two men are 

 working in the employ of a mechanical engineer. Listen 

 to their employer as he describes them. " A most intelligent 

 fellow is A ; he does everything by rule of thumb ; but he's 

 wonderfully quick at perceiving the bearing of a new bit of 



