INTELLIGENCE OF ANIMALS. 34/ 



doubt as to the exact degree of intelligence 

 possessed by them. If, when the farmer says, 

 " Carlo ! the cows are in the corn — turn them 

 out !" the dog should turn his head and reply, 

 " Yes, sir, I'll have them out in a moment !" there 

 could be no doubt of the intelligent interchange 

 of thought. But the fact of his doing that which 

 in the supposed case he would express, proves 

 as conclusively his comprehension of the com- 

 mand and his purpose to obey. The horse or 

 dog, however fully he may understand the direc- 

 tions he receives, can give no other response 

 than by his acts, and to words of praise or cen- 

 sure he can reply only by signs ; these are 

 clearly understood by us and show that our 

 meaning is comprehended by the animal, thus 

 proving a real interchange of thought. A pop- 

 ular author has said : "A dog may bark, a horse 

 may neigh, but it is not by these sounds that 

 they express the delicate shades of ever-varying 

 emotion ; it is by a thousand varieties of gesture 

 which few indeed of us can analyze but which 

 all clearly understand. A dog converses with 



