XVI 

 THE MIND OF A DOG 



LONG ago Herbert Spencer set evolutionists 

 thinking about the connection between in- 

 telligence in animals and the possession of 

 a grasping organ. Parrots, squirrels, elephants, 

 monkeys and many other animals were held to 

 exemplify its existence. The explanation of the 

 relationship has, of course, become obvious ; for 

 the creature which obtained the power of grasping 

 could apply any intelligence it possessed so much 

 more effectively than the same intelligence could 

 be used by another animal without the power, that 

 from the beginning natural selection doubtless 

 placed a premium on the combination of the two 

 faculties. In pursuit of this line of development, it 

 has become an interesting fact that we are beginning 

 to distinguish the existence of certain clues by which, 

 as soon as we know them, we can understand much 

 that would otherwise be obscure in the working of 

 the intelligence of certain classes of animals. The 

 intelligence of the dog is an example in point. When 

 the mind of the dog is systematically compared 

 with that of a monkey, it soon becomes evident 

 that the former differs from the latter in quality. 



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