HOW THE HORSE LEARNS 165 



the horse to seize it with his teeth and the horse 

 seizes the handkerchief with his teeth and carries 

 it. These actions have been taught separately and 

 joined together by the circus master in order to 

 make it appear that the horse has himself thought 

 of looking for the handkerchief and bringing it, 

 whilst the horse has performed the several actions 

 on the several signals associated with them. By 

 repeating these actions the horse also remembers 

 them and does them better and more readily, and 

 I think that the horse which has manv times 

 sought the handkerchief comes to understand that 

 the heap of sand contains the handkerchief. 



It is the same as regards making the horse 

 write the name of a city or of a spectator. The 

 letters of the alphabet designed on pieces of thin 

 planking attached at a right angle to other pieces 

 of planking to make them stand upright and easy 

 to grasp with the teeth are arranged on the gTound 

 in a circle at intervals of one vard or more. To 

 produce the illusion in the spectators the circus 

 master with a loud voice commands the horse to 

 write a name and makes him walk round inside 



