7 8 DOG STORIES 



as to a method of studying the psychology of 

 animals and a short account of a beginning I 

 had myself made in that direction. 



This letter has elicited various replies and 

 suggestions which you will perhaps allow me 

 to answer, and I may also take the opportu- 

 nity of stating the progress which my dog 

 Van has made, although, owing greatly, no 

 doubt, to my frequent absences from home 

 and the little time I can devote to him, this 

 has not been so rapid as I doubt not would 

 otherwise have been the case. Perhaps I 

 may just repeat that the essence of my idea 

 was to have various words, such as "food," 

 "bone," "water," "out," &c., printed on 

 pieces of card-board, and, after some pre- 

 liminary training, to give the dog anything 

 for which he asked by bringing a card. I 

 use pieces of cardboard about ten inches long 

 and three inches high, placing a number of 

 them on the floor side by side, so that the 

 dog has several cards to select from, each 

 bearing a different word. 



One correspondent has suggested that it 

 would be better to use variously coloured 



