OF WILD ANIMALS 99 



out of a wastepaper basket and strew the contents all over the 

 room, after which, when told to do so he would pick up every- 

 thing and put it all back, but looking very bored all the while. 

 If the basket was very full he would push it all down very 

 carefully, to make room for more. He would always put things 

 back when told to do so, such as books from a bookshelf or 

 things from a table. 



Two Cases of Original Thought, (i) "One day we 

 were going out, for which I was sitting ready dressed, when 

 John wished to sit in my lap. My sister, Mrs. Penny, said: 

 'Don't let him. He will spoil your dress.' 



"As my dress happened to be a light one I pushed him away, 

 and said, 'No!' He at once lay on the floor and cried just like 

 a child, for about a minute. Then he rose, looked round the 

 room, found a newspaper, went and picked it up, spread it on 

 my lap and climbed up. This was quite the cleverest thing I 

 ever saw him do. Even those who saw it said they would not 

 have believed it had they not seen it themselves! Both my nephews, 

 (Major Penny and Mr. E. C. Penny), his wife and my sister 

 (Mrs. Penny) were in the room, and can testify to the correct- 

 ness of the above record. 



(2) "Another clever thing John did, although I suspect this 

 was due more to instinct that to downright cleverness. A piece 

 of filet beefsteak had just come from the butcher. Inasmuch 

 as occasionally I gave him a small mouthful of raw beef, a small 

 piece of the coarser part of the steak was cut off, and I gave it 

 to him. He tasted it, then gravely handed it back to me. 

 Then he took my hand and put it on the finer part of the meat. 

 From that I cut off a tiny piece, gave it to him, and he ate it. 

 When my nephew came home he wouldn't believe it, so I tried 

 it again, with the same result, except that then he did not even 

 attempt to eat the coarser meat." 



Concerning Miss Cunningham's wonderful story, I wish to 

 state that I believe all of it, — because there is no reason to do 



