314 THE MENTAL CAPACITIES AND 



etrength whenever the opportunity offered. In the course of the 

 following year I paid a second visit to the same place accompanied 

 by my greyhound, and about three-quarters of an hour betore I 

 reached the village, the animal, as if struck with a sudden idea, 

 rushed forward at her full speed, and all attempts to call her back 

 proved quite ineffectual. On reaching the village I found that a 

 terrible encounter had already taken place between the two heroines, 

 who were on the point of renewing the attack after a temporary- 

 cessation of hostilities." 



Some Dogs seem even to entertain an embryo notion of 

 * justice ' and its opposite, the realization of which testifies 

 to the occurrence of mental processes of some complexity 

 for such animals. Leuret cites the following anecdote : — 



" Arago, the astronomer, was once overtaken by a storm in a 

 small village in the south of France, and Bureau de Lamalle, who 

 related the story ('Ann. des Sc. Nat.' t. xxii. 1831), says tho 

 cottagers with whom he had taken refuge could only offer him a 

 chicken for dinner — and this he at once ordered to be co jked. The 

 spit was provided with a revolving drum, into which a dog was 

 accustomed to enter in order to give it the necessary movement. 

 One of the dogs kept for this purpose (' turnspits ' as they were 

 called) was in the kitchen, and on the cottager attempting to take 

 it, the dog showed his teeth, hid himself, and obstinately disobeyed 

 his master's orders. Arago, in surprise, asked the cause, and was 

 told that the dog rebelled because it was his companion's turn. 

 The astronomer directed that the other dog should be fetched, and 

 on its arrival, at the first sign from his master, it went into the 

 drum and turned the spit for about ten minutes. In view of 

 completing the experiment, Arago caused the drum to be stopped 

 and the dog liberated, telling the cottager then to summon the 

 previously restive animal. The order was given, and the animal 

 whose refusal had previously been so obstinate, convinced that his 

 turn of drudgery had come, entered the drum of his own accord, 

 and began to turn it." 



Those who have kept intelligent dogs know the sur- 

 prising extent to which they become capable of under- 

 standing language — that is their power of comprehending 

 and of acting upon mere verbal instructions. A good 



