50 TRAINING THE HUNTING DOG 



underrated by superficial observers, it has been on 

 the other hand quite as unreasonably exaggerated by 

 enthusiastic admirers. The dog is not more intelli- 

 gent than are many other kinds of animals, and is 

 inferior in this respect ID some of them. He is not 

 to be compared to man in this matter. Indeed, in- 

 telligence in the dog equal to that possessed by man 

 would be a most grievous calamity to him. His in- 

 telligence, however, is of a high order. It is quite 

 equal to the demands of his nature, and to his posi- 

 tion in the scale of organic being. 



There are writers who urge still greater claims 

 for the dog than the claim of high intelligence. They 

 maintain that dogs possess souls and therefore have 

 eternal life, but that speculation is not pertinent to 

 the best methods of training, and therefore not perti- 

 nent to this work. 



His reasoning powers are quite acute on such mat- 

 ters as come within his immediate observation. A 

 few of many common acts will be mentioned. Some 

 hounds, after repeated chases of a fox over the same 

 course, will, in some later chase, lie concealed at a 

 point which will intercept him as the other hounds in 

 pursuit drive him by. Greyhounds soon learn to 



