Intelligence and the Acquisition of Habits. 155 



call it. Not long ago I was walking on a Sunday after- 

 noon with a gentleman who took with him five young 

 hounds. We came to a gate the lower bars of which 

 were close together, the upper bars being further apart ; 

 and, when we had climbed over, we watched the pups. 

 All at first struggled to get through the lower bars, but 

 they were too narrow. Presently first one, then another, 

 and then a third, tried higher up, and scrambled through 

 the wider opening. The fourth persistently struggled at 

 the lower bars ; the fifth occasionally struggled, but spent 

 most of his time in , whining. Here then, are three, 

 if not four, grades of intelligence. First, the cleverest 

 pup, who soon got through by trying a new place, and 

 showed the way ; secondly, two others who soon followed 

 his example — the third apparently through imitation ; 

 then the stupid but persistent pup ; and, lastly, the 

 one who gave it up and whined — unless, indeed, we regard 

 the desisting from hopeless attempts as a mark of intelli- 

 gence. My friend went back and called the three suc- 

 cessful pups after him, and they got through without 

 much difficulty. He then rejoined me in the field, and 

 the intelligent pups at once scrambled up to the wider 

 opening : they had learnt their lesson. But the other 

 two still struggled and whined ; and though we remained 

 in the field for twenty minutes, neither of them learnt 

 the trick of that gate. An intending purchaser of one of 

 these five pups would hardly have selected either of 

 these two duffers ! 



The point, however, which it is desirable to emphasize 

 is, that intelligence involves selection or choice ; that 

 the profitable experience is chosen for repetition ; and that 

 such conscious selection is rendered possible only through 

 association. It may indeed be asked, Why bring in this 

 word "association" so often ? Why not say simply that it is by 



