GOATS. 337 



and in raising his head the jerk would have produced 

 considerable pain. In order to avoid this the animal has 

 the sense to put his horn through the lower ring, and thus 

 avoid the inconvenience he is put to. I have seen him 

 do this in a very deliberate manner, putting his head on 

 one side while he got his horn through the ring, and then 

 shaking his head till the ring rested at the bottom of the 

 horn.' ' 



The following is quoted from Mrs. Lee's ' Anecdotes ' 

 (p. 366), and is rendered credible not only because her 

 •own observations are generally good, but also because 

 we shall subsequently find unquestionable evidence of the 

 display of similar intelligence by cats :— 



A goat and her kids frequented a square in which I once Hved, 

 and were often fed by myself and servants — a circumstance which 

 would have made no impression, had I not heard a thumping 

 at the hall door, which arose from the buttings of the goat when 

 the food was not forthcoming, and whose example was followed 

 by the two little things. After a time this remained unheeded, 

 and, to our great astonishment, one day the area bell used by 

 the tradespeople, the wire of which passed by the side of one of 

 the railings, was sounded. The cook answered it, but no one 

 was there save the goat and kids, with their heads bent down 

 towards the kitchen window. It was thought that some boy 

 had rung for them ; but they were watched, and the old goat 

 was seen to hook one of her horns into the wire and pull it. 

 This is too much like reason to be ascribed to mere instinct. 



P. Wakefield, in his ' Instinct Displayed,' ^ gives two 

 separate cases of an intelligent manoeuvre performed by 

 goats. On both occasions two goats met on a ridge of 

 rock with a precipice on each side, and too narrow to 

 admit of their passing one another. One of these cases 

 occurred on the ramparts of Plymouth Citadel, and was 

 witnessed by ' many persons ; ' the other took place at 

 Ardenglass, in Ireland. ' In both these instances the 

 animals looked at each other for some time, as if they 

 were considering their situation, and deliberating what 

 was best to be done in the emergency.' In each case one 

 of the goats then 'knelt down with great caution, and 



' md., pp. 226-7. 2 pp^ QQ and 97. 



