38 AN ANGLER'S BASKET. 



handles were wood, opening the door and closing it behind 

 him after he had entered ; of course, other intelligent dogs 

 might be taught to do this, but if the incident here recorded 

 did not show a reasoning power, what was it ? " Tulip " 

 slept always downstairs in the square hall of my house, and 

 under no circumstances was he allowed to come upstairs 

 during the night. But early one summer morning I, being 

 awake, heard this dog shake himself, and then heard the 

 sound of his feet walking over the hall floor. The stairs 

 were creaky, and the third step from the bottom made a 

 very audible noise when even a light foot was put on it. 

 By-and-bye I heard a creak, and then no more for some 

 time ; then I heard a second creak. Getting up, I went 

 through a dressing room and came to a landing surrounding 

 the well of the house, and from a point where he could not 

 see me, watched his method of procedure. He came as 

 gently as a kitten from stair to stair, very slowly, until he 

 alighted on one that creaked ; then he stopped dead, and 

 paused the greater part of a whole minute until he had 

 assured himself that no word of command was coming to 

 order him down again. Then he progressed again in this 

 fashion till he reached the top of the stairs, taking probably 

 five minutes between the bottom and the top. As he 

 reached the top stair, I said to him from my position, about 

 seven yards away from him, " Now, you be off down again." 

 Never shall I forget the look of astonishment on his face, 

 followed by his instant descent, in which every foot-fall was 

 plainly audible from top to bottom. He was conscious that the 

 attempt to deceive was no longer any good, and therefore 

 the extreme care with which he had come up was unnecessary. 

 Now, I cannot see how this procedure could be due to 

 anything but his having reasoned the matter out. 



And a fish, even a mis-called silly roach, is not quite a 

 fool ; there are some things he is capable of finding out and 

 living up to. He knows mustard when he tastes it, and 



