PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION iii 



incidence or to hallucination. As far as 

 I can see, the evidence shows that dogs 

 do understand a good deal of human 

 speech, though how they learn it remains a 

 mystery. But in reality, and in practice, 

 everyone admits this ability to understand 

 human speech in the dog, though strenu- 

 ous protests in the name of common-sense 

 are made the moment anyone ventures to 

 face the fact and put it boldly forward. 

 Nobody doubts that a dog knows his own 

 name and answers to it when called. But 

 what is this but understanding human 

 speech ? If every dog can do this, why 

 should not some dogs of exceptional quick- 

 ness learn more than the one word, and so 

 get a wider knowledge of human speech? 

 Surely it is only the first word that matters. 

 After that, knowing the whole dictionary is 

 only a matter of degree. But though dogs 

 seem able to understand our language, it is 

 very curious to notice how utterly we fail to 

 understand theirs. This point has been 

 touched on by that able and eminent Judge 

 of the Queen's Bench Division, Sir Henry 



