32 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE 



Believing that men who had chosen Comparative 

 Medicine as a career, must have some real liking for 

 those animals, at least, which are classed as domestic, 

 if not for all creatures that breathe the breath of life, 

 and feeling assured that a knowledge of the mental 

 constitution of animals must prove invaluable to the 

 veterinary surgeon in the diagnosis and treatment of 

 the diseases of his speechless patients, in the latter part 

 of the year 1885, 1 called together such of the students 

 of the Montreal Veterinary College as were attending 

 my own classes in physiology, and suggested the desir- 

 ability of forming some sort of association for the attain- 

 ment of these objects. Those addressed responded to 

 my proposals as only young men can. Soon almost 

 every student in the College joined us. The Principal 

 and Professors aided, both by smoothing the way and by 

 active and cordial co-operation. A spacious and com- 

 fortable room was kindly placed at our disposal in the 

 Veterinary College building in which to hold our meet- 

 ings. As the project was tentative, we did not think it 

 well to fetter ourselves with many rules or regulations. 

 However, on commencing our second year, we felt 

 warranted in giving our Association a name, providing 

 for it a constitution and bye-laws, and taking such other 

 steps as tended to show that organisation was warranted 

 as a natural result of growth and development.* 



In order to present the history of our Association 

 within a small space, you will bear in mind that the 

 accounts of papers read, and the discussions ensuing, 

 must appear in very condensed form ; and that the com- 

 ments I have now to make on them must be few, and 

 rather indicative of the line of investigation we have 



* Thus far the Principal of the Veterinary College, D. M'Eachran, 

 has been the Honorary President ; T. Wesley Mills, Professor of 

 Physiology, M'Gill University, President; W. J. Torrance, Record- 

 ing Secretary. The other offices have been filled by different members 

 of the Association, including the Professors of the College. 



