Mental Processes in Animals, 367 



With regard to the devices adopted, I think we need 

 further information. Do Arctic foxes tunnel in the snow 

 for any other purposes ? What is the proportion of those 

 who adopt this device to those who gnaw through the 

 string ? Have careful and reliable observers watched the 

 foxes ? or are their actions, as described by Dr. Eae, 

 inferences, on the part of the trappers, from the state of 

 matters they found when they came round to examine 

 their traps ? Without fuller information on these points, 

 it is undesirable to discuss the case further. Even if we 

 had full details, however, we should be as little able to get 

 at the process of perceptual inference in the case of the fox 

 as we are in the case of the intelligent workman, who sees 

 the right thing to do, but cannot tell you how he reached 

 the conclusion. 



No one can watch the actions of a clever dog without 

 seeing how practical he is. He is carrying your stick in 

 his mouth, and comes to a stile. A young puppy will go 

 blundering with the stick against the stile, and, perhaps, 

 go back home, or get through the bars and leave the stick 

 behind. But practical experience has taught the clever 

 dog better. He lays down the stick, takes it by one end, 

 and draws it backwards through the opening at one side of 

 the stile. A friend tells me of a dog which was carrying a 

 basket of eggs. He came to a stile which he was accus- 

 tomed to leap, poked his head through the stile, deposited 

 the basket, ran back a few yards, took the stile at a bound, 

 picked up the basket, and continued on his course. ** In- 

 telligent fellow ! " I exclaim. " Yes," says my friend, " he 

 knew the eggs would break if he attempted to leap with the 

 basket ! " This is just the little gratuitous, unwarrantable, 

 human touch which is so often filled in, no doubt in perfect 

 good faith, by the narrators of anecdotes. Against such 

 interpolations we must be always on our guard. It is 

 so difficult not to introduce a little dose of reason. 



Mr. Eomanes obtained from the Zoological Gardens at 

 Kegent's Park a very intelligent capuchin monkey, on 

 which his sister made a series of most interesting and 



