1 88 NATURE STUDIES. 



animals, and those which, though not domestic, affect 

 the neighbourhood of houses are not those whose 

 cerebral development is of the highest order among 

 animals. If monkeys were commonly domesticated 

 (which would, for other reasons, be by no means 

 desirable), we should probably have a number of far 

 more striking and convincing instances of animal 

 reasoning than we at present possess, for nearly all 

 monkeys are far higher in cerebral development than 

 the most sagacious dogs, while horses, cats, rats, &c., 

 are lower than dogs in this respect. Still if we 

 remember that whatever evidence we obtain from the 

 behaviour of dogs and cats must be regarded as sug- 

 gesting, for this very reason, a powerful argument 

 a, fortiori as to the reasoning faculties of monkeys, and 

 especially of the higher orders of simians, we may be 

 well satisfied with such instances as have been adduced 

 above. The following case, showing how a cat- 

 reasoned out the meaning of a phenomenon brought 

 for the first time under its notice, seems to afford 

 decisive evidence of the capacity of animals to deal 

 with cases when neither instinct, habit, nor imitative 

 faculty can afford them any assistance : A household 

 cat was observed to enter a bedroom which was being 

 cleaned at spring-time : a looking-glass stood on the 

 floor, and Tom, on entering, found himself confronted 

 by an image which he naturally supposed to be another 

 cat, an intruder on his domains. He made hostile 

 demonstrations, which were presently followed up by 

 a rush at his opponent, who, nothing loth, seemed to 



