34 . EXPERIMENTS ON 



24. Home (Sir Everard) : on the elephant and lion; 

 effects of piano music. 



25. Smellie : on the corncrake ; its wariness. 



26. Marville, on various animals ; the power of music. 



27. By many authors, on elephants, testing their in- 

 genuity; their intellectual efforts. 



28. Countless experiments on the dog sometimes for 

 wagers to test or show its intelligence or sensitiveness, for 

 instance, in the use of money ; or its fidelity and integrity in 

 defence of a trust ; or its power of way-finding home, when 

 taken over unknown ground by railways or steamboats. 



A perusal of the foregoing list will show in how large a 

 proportion of cases experiment was made upon insects ; a 

 circumstance in connection with which it is desirable to 

 remind the reader how much experimental study of animal 

 habits may be conducted under glass in our own libraries, 

 studios, parlours, drawing-rooms, conservatories, or even 

 bedrooms ; for I know of one instance in which an enthu- 

 siastic young zoologist conducted salmon-breeding experi- 

 ments in a small tank fitted up in his own bedroom. Hence 

 the use of ferneries, Wardian cases, or other forms of closed 

 glass vessels, aquaria, apiaria, &c., in the study of the habits 

 of insects of such interest as ants, bees, and wasps. 



The simplest experiment may give rise to a host of sug- 

 gestive reflections. I have myself frequently performed a 

 very simple experiment which may be repeated by anybody 

 on the influence of harsh or caressing tones, looks, or atti- 

 tudes, on dogs and cats, in the creation of confidence or fear; 

 in calling forth affection or repressing it ; in developing in- 

 dividuality, and testing character and courage. I have over 

 and over again found that an angry word or scowl a 

 threatening attitude will cause some dogs and cats to flee 

 precipitately in alarm sometimes backwards in case of 

 seizure by their fancied enemy while others bravely bark 

 or hiss their defiance. Some show unmistakably their 

 doubt whether the experimenter is in jest or earnest. There 

 is obviously a conflict of feelings and ideas in their minds 

 when they find a person who is in the habit of taking no 

 notice of them, or of throwing them a friendly word, assum- 



