198 LECTURE XY. 



about two bushels of walnuts, and on the follow- 

 ing morning he found that they had all been 

 carried away by rats. 



But I shall tire you if I were to continue 

 longer the subject of instinct in animals, although 

 I might pursue it to a great extent. In many 

 cases it amounts so nearly to reason, which 

 latter faculty is supposed to be possessed only 

 by the human race, that it is difficult to define 

 where instinct begins and reason ends. You 

 may judge for yourselves when I give you the 

 following anecdotes. 



A fox, partly tamed, was kept fastened by a 

 chain to a post in a court-yard, and was chiefly 

 fed on boiled potatoes. Many fowls also were 

 kept in the same yard, but had sense enough 

 not to come within reach of the fox. He was, 

 however, too cunning for them, as you will find. 

 Having bruised and scattered the boiled potatoes 

 which he had received for his dinner at the 

 extremity of the space the chain would reach, 

 he retired in an opposite direction, and put on 

 the appearance of being asleep. His cunning 

 succeeded, for some of the fowls were thrown 

 off their guard, and came within the circle of 

 danger to eat the potatoes. The fox then sprang 



