50 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 



possess this intelligence. I do not, however, intend to 

 take this for granted, for my purpose is to give the 

 ground upon which such a belief rests. 



Such a belief must be derived from observing the habits 

 and practices of animals. The difficulties in the way 

 of doing this, especially of animals in the wild state, are 

 very great, for, observation to possess the highest value 

 should be continued, and this is manifestly impossible 

 with those that are feral ; and with others that can be 

 controlled and confined by men, the habit of patiently 

 observing them and recording those observations has 

 not been common. But although we possess a body of 

 information upon this subject, small as compared with 

 what will eventually be collected, it is still sufficient to 

 justify the growing belief that animals — employing this 

 word to mean all living things — possess something more 

 than mere instinct, that they enjoy faculty of reason, 

 and that they are frequently able to protect themselves 

 from danger and improve their condition by its exercise. 

 The size of a living creature is no measure of its intelli- 

 gence. If this were so the ant would be the most insig- 

 nificant of creatures. As it is, the ant possesses extra- 

 ordinary instincts and an intelligence that is not less re- 

 markable. Concerning the habits of ants we happen to 

 possess a very large fund of information, collected by a 

 number of pains-taking observers, which can implicitly 

 be relied upon. Huber, MacCook, Belt, Moggridge, Sir 

 John Lubbock and others have made a careful study of 

 their habits and disclose some astonishing things. It is 

 conclusively demonstrated that they have tenacious 

 memories. Huber removed some ants from a nest and 

 kept them in confinement four months, when they were 

 restored to the nest and immediately recognized by the 

 others. Sir John Lubbock extended the time to a year, 

 and with the same result. They stroked the antennae 

 of the absentees, a mark of ant affection, and gave 



e 



