From the Unconscious to the Conscious 



often been reported. In these cases we touch what has 

 been called * metapsychic phenomenology.' 



True supernormal manifestations, as well as hypnotic 

 or somnambulic phenomena have been observed in 

 animals. Some have strange premonitions; the 'death- 

 howl ' of a dog, once heard in tragic circumstances, can 

 never be forgotten. I have myself heard it on more than 

 one occasion, and have been vividly impressed by it. 



For instance, I was one night watching, in my medical 

 capacity, by a young woman who, in the midst of health, 

 had been stricken down that very day by mortal illness. 

 She was dying, and the death rale was in her throat. 

 The family was present, silent and deeply distressed. 

 The time was I a.m. (She died at daybreak.) 



Suddenly from the garden which surrounded the 

 house came the ' death-howl * of the house-dog a long, 

 lugubrious wail on one note, at first loud then falling 

 diminuendo slowly to a close. 



For some seconds there was silence, then the wail 

 began again, as before. The dying woman had a gleam 

 of consciousness and looked at us with an anxious expres- 

 sion. She had understood. Her husband went out 

 in haste to silence the dog. At his approach the dog 

 fled and hid, and in the darkness it was impossible to 

 find it. As soon as the man returned to the house the 

 wails began again, and continued for more than an 

 hour till the animal could be seized and taken away. 



Dr A. R. Wallace, and others have cited many 

 cases of a metapsychic kind, still more mysterious, in 

 which animals, especially dogs and horses, have been 

 the agents. In this connection the case of the Elberfeld 

 calculating horses may be mentioned; these have been 

 observed and the facts verified by several men of science, 

 among others Professor Clapare'de of Geneva. All 

 agree in authenticating the facts. M. de Vesme 1 has 

 shown that the solutions (to mathematical questions 



1 Annales des Sciences Psychiques. 

 184 



