516 COMMISSION OF ERROR. 



to the portraits of other animals of the same or of other 

 species or genera. The marmozet (monkey) recognises pic- 

 torial representations of its own species or of other animals 

 ( Audouin), identifying them with the originals. The picture 

 of a cat or wasp creates alarm, and it commits the error of 

 snatching at painted representations of insects (Cassell). 

 The Titi, too, commits the perhaps excusable mistake of re- 

 garding engravings as realities, showing thereby its recogni- 

 tion of likeness in the pictured representations of persons, 

 animals or things (Humboldt). The performing dog Minos 

 that was brought to London for exhibition in. May, 1875, was 

 said to be able to ' trace a likeness between photographs ' and 

 their originals. Hogg's dog Lion mistook a portrait of an- 

 other dog for a real animal, and allowed itself to be excited 

 thereby to angry rivalry, just as certain animals are annoyed 

 at or with their own mirrored image. A correspondent of 

 ' Science Gossip ' mentions a Pomeranian dog that was 

 excited by an almost life-size portrait. In short, according 

 as the portraits are those of friends or foes, the resultant 

 impression and expression are those of joy or fear. 



Various statements have been made of parrots and other 

 birds, and of certain insects, being deceived by painted repre- 

 sentations of flowers or fruits. They are led into error 

 apparently by the impressions on their sense of vision not 

 being corrected by those of other senses. They are said to 

 express their sense of the fidelity of the representation to 

 show the reality of their mistake, by the display of gratifica- 

 tion, complacency, self- admiration, aversion, attack, fear, 

 flight, or attempts to feed upon the tempting objects. The 

 evidence at my command not being sufficient to convince 

 myself in one direction or another, I ventured to apply to 

 various distinguished painters, begging them to favour me 

 with the results of any personal experience they might have 

 had on the subject. Two replies reached me fortunately 

 representing opposite views from artists whose names are 

 a sufficient guarantee for the value of their remarks Mr. 

 Millais representing the affirmative and Mr. Hamerton the 

 negative. The statements made in both cases are of suffi- 

 cient interest to warrant my giving them in extenso. 



