64 LOLA 



charts of figures and letters were written in my none- 

 too-clear handwriting and yet she could remember 

 combinations of figures amounting to ten in number 

 from one day to the other. She could also recognize 

 persons from their portraits, and pictures of objects 

 familiar to her, a faculty of observation I have tested 

 in numerous little ways. This gift was also possessed 

 by KralTs horses and by Rolf. People seem to have 

 the idea that dogs do not observe much, but there is 

 no valid reason for this. Children in their naivete will 

 show their picture-book to a dog as to a friend : 

 " Look here ! " they will cry it is only the excep- 

 tion when it occurs to a " grown-up " to do the 

 same. 



I can only say that I have convinced myself and 

 proved to the astonishment of many that a dog can 

 recognize both the letters of the alphabet and the 

 subject of a picture shown to it. 



Not that these abilities exceed those of man, at 

 first sight, but when the matter is probed into deeply 

 they do out -strip ours in one particular, and that is 

 in celerity. For instance, if I write three or four 

 rows of figures, one beneath the other, doing so quickly, 

 without making any calculation myself, and then hold 

 the paper before Lola's eyes, so that I can look into 

 them, I see her glance skim the figures for a second 

 or two, she will then hang her head, in evident calcula- 

 tion after which she looks out straight in front of 

 her and raps her reply. Rarely does her glance go 

 over the paper a second time. In early days I used 

 to think that, before holding out my hand to receive 

 her answer, I ought to hold her head firmly and 

 oblige her to keep her eyes on the sheet, for it seemed 

 to me she must needs look at it for five minutes 

 at least. But Lola always tries hard to avoid looking 



