CONTINUED TUITION 45 



table from two to ten, keeping up, of course, a repetition 

 of what had already been learnt. This great speed 

 is another point that often gives rise to doubts, yet 

 it is found to be equally the case with all animals who 

 are taught : I cannot account for it I can merely 

 say that it is so. I have thought at times that the 

 reason may lie in the fact that dogs and horses have 

 but a short span of life in comparison to man's, and 

 therefore, a briefer period of youth wherein to acquire 

 their stock of learning ; that this might account for 

 an animal being quicker than a child, which has 

 ampler time and seems to need it all in order to lay 

 a thorough foundation, since the multitude of subse- 

 quent impressions would otherwise swamp all our 

 earliest rudimentary learning. 



Lola answered splendidly. It now happened at 

 times that I myself made mistakes and believing the 

 fault to be hers, have said : " That is wrong I " But 

 she was not to be put out, and stuck to her reply. 

 Then, on going over it I would find that she was right 

 after all I 



I often put my question thus : " 7 x 4 = ? " and the 

 reply would be left paw 2, right paw 8 : then : 

 "9x3 = ?" Answer : left paw 2, right paw 7 ; 

 and again, " 6 x 6 * ? " Answer : left paw 3, right 

 paw 6. How accurate a test this was might be 

 gathered from the sure and quiet way in which she 

 tapped the palm of my hand, first with her left paw 

 three times, and then with the right, six. I held my 

 hand quite flat, slantingly and immovable there was 

 nothing about it that could convey any sort of sign 

 to her, otherwise she would not sometimes have rapped 

 either less or more than I expected, as has happened 

 both in her spelling and at her sums. 



My thoughts now turned to the business of spelling 



