502 COMMISSION OF ERROR. 



they must use their keen powers of observation of natural 

 landmarks, and hence cannot fly by night or in mist or 

 storm ; and that mistakes are constantly being committed 

 by the animals while in process of training, and even after 

 their tuition has been accomplished. If man is not suffi- 

 ciently gradual in his lessons, if he gives the birds too long 

 flights at first, and especially if he has not been happy in 

 his selection of naturally intelligent animals, capable of re- 

 paying his efforts on their special education, they may fail 

 altogether ; so that on the occasion of every trial or compe- 

 tition flight, while certain animals reach the goal, certain 

 others do not a fact familiar to all persons experienced in 

 the pigeon-flying matches of Belgium or other countries. 



Other animals take note, and make use of, landmarks, 

 and of those, moreover, that are set up by man, as well as of 

 those that are natural. Thus Belt tells us that certain 

 marks, purposely set up by himself in Nicaragua and in the 

 Amazons region of South America, for his own recognition 

 as a means of way-finding, were recognised by certain wasps. 

 They frequently as perhaps he did himself missed them ; 

 but they repeated their search till they were found. 



Again, the stories told of dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, or 

 other animals finding their way home over sea and land, 

 through or across unknown districts or regions of both, are 

 not only infinite in number, but frequently apparently in- 

 credible in character. Nevertheless there can be no doubt 

 as to the authenticity, in all respects, of at ieast many of 

 these stories ; and this renders it probable that there is some 

 basis of fact in the remainder. But the incidents in question 

 relate to the successful exploits of exceptionally clever ani- 

 mals. We hear nothing of the failures of the majority 

 nothing, for instance, of the number of stray dogs that are 

 constantly wandering in the streets of our cities, and that 

 perish there from cold and hunger ; or of wandering sheep 

 and cattle that are incessantly perplexing the farmer, drover, 

 or shepherd. 



Much is said of the wonderful, though rare, phenomena 

 of way-finding, nothing of the everyday occurrence of way- 

 losing. And yet there is nothing more common than for 



