ig2 NATUEE STUDIES. 



his eyes, the dog caught sight of a portrait of a 

 gentleman on the wall not far from him, upon which 

 the light was shining strongly. He growled, and for 

 some little time kept his eyes fixed upon the portrait, 

 but shortly satisfying himself that there was no danger 

 to be apprehended, he resumed his nap. I have 

 often, " proceeds the narrator, " endeavoured since to 

 induce him to pay some attention to portraits and 

 pictures, but without success, though sometimes he 

 will bark at his own reflection in a looking-glass. 

 He knows it to be his own image that he sees, for he 

 very soon tires of barking and looking." 



In the case last considered, we see that a dog, 

 belonging to a species not distinguished for keenness 

 of scent, was not long deceived by a picture, even 

 under circumstances favouring the deception as his 

 previous sleep, the .position of rest from which he saw 

 the figure, and the strong light shining upon it. As 

 this was the only instance known to one who was 

 familiar with the ways of dogs, the negative evidence 

 respecting the recognition of pictures by animals is 

 rather strong. However, there have been cases where 

 animals, if not actually deceived by a picture, seem 

 certainly to have understood what it was intended to 

 represent. The following case seems to me full of 

 interest. It is related by Mr. Chas. W. Peach, of 

 Edinburgh. He remarks, first, that in certain publi- 

 cations dogs are said never to have recognised a 

 painted likeness. "During my residence in Corn- 

 wall," he goes on to say, "I had a most intelligent 



