HOW ANIMALS GET HOME. 219 



I mention this incident to call attention to the alertness 

 of our household pets in hearing and comprehending what 

 is being said. Could not a dog on a railway remember the 

 names of the towns through which he passed as they were 

 called out by the attendants and spoken by travellers, and 

 so be able to judge something of his way in return ? The 

 Kev. Mr. Wood suggested that the collie which returned 

 from India was enabled to find the right vessel at Calcutta 

 by hearing the well-known language and accent of the 

 Scotch sailors; and again picked out from among many 

 others the right collier in which to finish the journey, part- 

 ly by remembrance of the rig, but also by recognizing the 

 still more familiar and home -like dialect of the Dundee 

 men. In a country where dialects are so marked as in 

 Great Britain, this sort of observation would no doubt be 

 of great help to an intelligent animal. Take the case of 

 the Holywell workman's dog. It is quite possible that he 

 discovered the right route from Liverpool, whither it would 

 not be so difficult to make his way from Manchester, by 

 following some rough-tongued Welshman until he found 

 himself among his own hills again. 



But there is still more to be said about this part of a 

 homesick animal's resources and ingenuity. I am firm in 

 my belief that animals have a language of signs and utter- 



