56 MENTAL EVOLUTION IN MAN. 



fresh opening, and thus not unfrequcntly escapes the snares 

 of the sportsman. If a rabbit imprisoned with him gets 

 caught in one of the snares, or if by any other means one 

 should go off, he infers that the machine has done its duty, 

 and walks boldly and securely over it." * 



Lastly, this author gives the case, which has since been 

 largely quoted — although its source is seldom given — of crows 

 which it is desired to shoot upon their nests, in order to destroy 

 birds and eggs at the same time. The crows will not return 

 to their nests during daylight, if they see any one waiting to 

 shoot them. If, to lull suspicion, a hut is made below the 



* Ibid., p. 30. In the present connection, also, I may refer to the chapter 

 on Imagination in my previous work, where sundr>' illustrations are given of this 

 faculty as it occurs in animals ; for wherever imagination leads to appropriate action, 

 there is evidence of a Logic of Recepts, which in the higher levels of 

 imagination, characteristic of man, passes into a Logic of Concepts. 



Since publishing the chapter just alluded to, I have received an additional 

 and curious illustration of the imaginative faculty in animals, which I think 

 deserves to be published for its own sake. Of course we may see in a general 

 way that dogs and cats resemble children in their play of " pretending" that in- 

 animate objects are alive, and this betokens a comparatively high level of the 

 imaginative faculty. The case which I am about to quote, however, appears to 

 show that this kind of imaginative play may extend in animals, as in children, to 

 the still higher level of not only pretending that inanimate objects are alive, but of 

 "peopling space with fancy's airy forms." I shall quote the facts in the words of 

 my correspondent, who is Miss Bramston, the authoress. 



' ' IVatch is a collie dog belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbuiy ; but lives 

 with me a good deal, as Lambeth does not suit him. He is a very remarkable 

 dog in many ways, which I will not inflict on you. He is very intelligent, under- 

 stands many words, and can perform tricks. What I mention him for, however, 

 is that he is the only dog I ever met with a dramatic faculty. His favourite drama 

 is chasing imaginary pigs. He used now and then to be sent to chase real pigs 

 out of the field, and after a time it became a custom for Miss Benson to open the 

 door for him after dinner in the evening, and say, ' Pigs ! ' when he always ran 

 about, wildly chasing imaginary pigs. If no one opened the door, he went to it 

 himself wagging his tail, asking for his customary drama. He now reaches a 

 furthur stage, for as soon as we get up after our last meal he begins to bark 

 violently, and if the door is open he rushes out to chase imaginary pigs with no 

 one saying the word ' pigs ' at all. He usually used to be sent out to chase pigs 

 after prayers in the evening, and when he came to my small house it was amusing 

 to see that he recognized the function of prayers, performed with totally different 

 accompaniments, to be the same as prayers performed in an episcopal chapel, so 

 far as he expected ' Pigs ' to be the end of both. The word ' Pigs,' uttered in 

 any tone, will always set him off playing the same drama." 



