POWER OF CALCULATION. 465 



height of objects they are called upon to surmount or carry. 

 Hence the horse refuses an impracticable fence, recognising 

 its impracticability : it does not attempt what is beyond its 

 power, what is obviously dangerous. Its reluctance, in such 

 a case, may, or may not, be overcome by the will and stimuli 

 of the rider, the whip, the spur, the taunt ; or by the force 

 of imitation, the example of other horses and riders. The 

 animal's own better judgment may be made to give way to 

 the temper and insistance of its master. But if, and when 

 this takes place, it is too frequently proved by the issue that 

 the horse has been the more sensible animal, indeed, the 

 only sensible animal, of the two : though unfortunately it is 

 also the more likely to suffer for its rider's stupidity than 

 the rider himself. The camel, too, shows unwillingness to 

 travel with a load which it considers too large or heavy. 



But the dog at least is capable of estimating not only 

 the physical, but the mental or moral qualities, both in his 

 fellows, and in man. It is frequently an admirable reader, 

 or interpreter, of human character: it forms a wonderfully 

 correct judgment of man's strong and weak points ; in other 

 words, it rapidly discovers those weak points in regard to 

 which it feels itself to be, for the moment at least, man's 

 superior. In particular it recognises, and it must be added, 

 it sometimes takes undue advantage of, such human quali- 

 ties as timidity or hesitancy, ignorance or inexperience ; just 

 as it does of man's drunkenness, awkwardness, incautious- 

 ness. 



Nor does the horse, in some cases, form a less accurate 

 estimate of certain features at least of man's character. In 

 their own fellows, in their leaders or chiefs, or in their prey 

 or enemies, dogs, tigers and other animals, appreciate such 

 qualities as courage, sagacity, presence of mind and fertility 

 in resource. 



There is the same liability to imperfection, or error, in 

 the calculations of other animals as in those of man. Thus 

 errors in the calculation of distance occur frequently in the 

 leap of the predatory carnivora on their prey. 



The Indian cheetah, when it makes a premature dash at 

 the antelope, and so misses it, ' sneaks ashamed and crest- 



