The Homing Instinct 10 5 



to be done in the case of the Messenger Dogs, and, in fact, 

 the whole trend of their training is on this line. First of 

 all, they are trained from a fixed base, and then from a 

 movable base. It was always interesting to observe how 

 the different dogs thought out the return journey, when 

 under training. Sometimes they would be taken out by 

 a roundabout route by road, and certain dogs would always 

 return by the shortest way, which sometimes took them 

 straight across country. Others, on the other hand, quite 

 as clever, chose to take the longer route back on which 

 they had been brought outwards, because they thought 

 they could run quicker on the smooth road unmolested by 

 obstacles of any sort. I noticed that the most cunning 

 and elderly dogs generally did this. In the field, it was 

 much the same. The most experienced dogs generally 

 took what they judged was the easiest route homewards, 

 even though it might be somewhat longer. 



In studying this instinct among animals as a whole, 

 we find, that the habit of migration in many of the species 

 is closely allied to it. The underlying motive does not 

 always seem to be the same, but the method of procedure 

 resulting is the same. The migratory habits of the birds 

 are exceedingly interesting to study, as are those of the 

 fish and many other animals. First of all, however, the 

 attainments of man in this direction must be inquired into, 

 and here it is regrettable that this very wonderful gift 

 is at present practically unused. That man has this instinct, 

 however dormant it may be in the meantime, see ins 

 probable, as capabilities of home-finding are still possessed 

 by certain primitive races. Travellers in Arctic regions, 

 for instance, have stated their astonishment as to the 

 manner in which natives were able to find their way 

 amongst the trackless ice-floes, while they themselves were 



