The Descent of Man 7^7 



days. I went near tlie stable where lie lived, and shouted to him in 

 my old manner; he showed no joy, but instantly followed me out 

 walking and obeyed me, exactly as if I had parted with him only 

 half an hour before. A train of old associations, dormant during five 

 years, had thus been instantaneously awakened in his mind.' — Vol i. 

 p. 45. 



No doubt! but this is not 'reason.' Indeed, we could 

 hardly have a better instance of the mere action of asso- 

 ciated sensible impressions. What is there here which im- 

 plies more than memory, impressions of sensible objects and 

 their association ? Had there been reason there would have 

 been signs of joy and wonder, though such signs would not 

 alone prove reason to exist. It is evident that Mr. Darwin's 

 own mode of explanation is the sufficient one — namely, by a 

 train of associated sensible impressions. Mr. Darwin surely 

 cannot think that there is in this case any evidence of the 

 dog's having put to himself those questions which, under the 

 circumstances, a rational being would put. Mr. Darwin also 

 teUs us how a monkey-trainer gave up in despair the educa- 

 tion of monkeys of which the attention was easily distracted 

 from his teaching, while ' a monkey which carefully attended 

 to him could always be trained.' But ' attention ' does not 

 imply ' reason.' The anecdote only shows that some monkeys 

 are more easily impressed and more retentive of impressions 

 than others. 



Again, we are told, as an instance of reason, that ' Kengger 

 sometimes put a live wasp in paper so that the monkeys in 

 hastily unfolding it got stung ; after this had once happened, 

 they always first held the packet to their ears to detect any 

 movement within.' But here again we have no need to call 

 in the aid of ' reason.' The monkeys had had the group of 

 sensations ' folded paper ' associated with the other groups — 

 * noise and movement ' and ' stung fingers.' The second time 

 they experience the group of sensations 'folded paper' the 



