MY PREVIOUS ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE 

 SUBJECT 



I CANNOT remember whether it was in 1912, or 

 earlier, or possibly even later, that I heard for the 

 first time of Karl Krall's horses at Elberfeld. 

 No details then reached me ; only just the generalities 

 relative to their ability to count and spell. Of their 

 fore-runner, " der kluge Hans," I had as yet heard 

 nothing. I had been a child when Hans had made his 

 debut, so to speak; he had then vanished and the 

 odium which had later attached to his name was, 

 therefore, unknown to me. I may say that I was 

 totally unprejudiced when the news of these horses 

 reached and, indeed, as there was but little informa- 

 tion I did not interest myself further about the subject, 

 although it had made a momentary impression on me. 

 A year or two later Professor Kraemer of Hohenheim 

 arrested public attention by his investigations respect- 

 ing animals, and it was there that I heard him deliver 

 a lecture on the horses and also the dog Rolf of Mann- 

 heim, hearing further details from him in conversation 

 with my father 1 and myself. What I then heard 

 interested me immensely. 



Professor Kraemer was a keen advocate of this 

 subject, but I was chary of forming any opinion with- 

 out deeper investigations. The possibility of " self- 

 expression " on the part of animals did not seem to 



1 Professor Karl Kindermann, of Hohenheim. 

 23 



