402 MENTAL EVOLUTION IN MAN. 



before the differential engine of conceptiorr has come to the 

 assistance of mind, mind is able to reach a high level in the 

 distinguishing of resemblances or analogies by means of 

 receptual discrimination alone. Consequently, it is inevitable 

 that non-conceptual or denotative names should undergo a 

 connotative extension, within whatever limits these powers of 

 merely receptual discrimination impose. And, as a matter 

 of fact, we found that such is the case. A talking bird will 

 extend its denotative name from one dog in particular to any 

 other dog which it may happen to see ; and a young child, 

 after having done this, will extend the denotative name still 

 further, so as to include images, and eventually pictures, of 

 dogs. Hence, if the receptual intelligence of a parrot were 

 somewhat more advanced than it happens to be, we can have 

 no doubt that it would do the same : the only reason why in 

 this matter it parts company with a child so soon as it does, 

 is because its receptual intelligence is not sufficiently deve- 

 loped to perceive the resemblance of images and pictures to 

 the objects which they are intended to represent. But the 

 receptual intelligence of a dog is higher than that of a parrot, 

 and some dogs are able to perceive resemblances of this kind. 

 Therefore if dogs, like parrots, had happened to be able to 

 articulate, and so to learn the use of denotative names, there 

 can be no doubt that they would have accompanied the 

 growing child through a somewhat further reach of conno- 

 tative utterance than is the case with the only animals which 

 present the anatomical conditions required for the imitation 

 of articulate sounds. Both dogs and monkeys are able, in 

 an extraordinary degree, to understand these sounds : that 

 is to say, they can learn the meanings of an astonishing 

 number of denotative names, and also be taught to apprehend 

 a surprisingly large extension of connotative significance. 

 Consequently, if they could but imitate these sounds, after 

 the manner of a parrot, it is certain that they would greatly 

 distance the parrot in this matter of receptual connotation. 



But, lastly, we are not shut up to any such hypothetical 

 case. For the growing child itself furnishes us with evidence 



