BEHAVIOUR OF A HERD OF CATTLE 153 

 Jones, whether standing on his head or his 

 heels. But this is not so with the beasts who 

 can only perceive an abnormal appearance, 

 which first startles, then attracts, and finally 

 irritates them. 



It is true the spectator may experience some 

 curiosity as to why Jones should have made 

 such an exhibition of himself, and this causes 

 him to reflect ; but what primarily induced 

 the sensation of curiosity was the working of 

 his own subconscious mind. 



Taking advantage of this sense of curiosity 

 in unreasoning creatures, man has invented 

 an ingenious device for attracting larks. These 

 birds (skylarks) have a marketable value, and 

 judging from the numbers seen hanging up in 

 the poulterers' shops it is evident that in some 

 way they are slaughtered wholesale. Netting, 

 probably, accounts for many, though of this 

 I have no experience, but can testify to the 

 efficacy of the above-mentioned invention, 

 which, without going into unnecessary par- 

 ticulars, consists of a column of upright pris- 

 matic mirrors arranged in circular form and 

 rotated by clockwork. 



This apparatus is placed on the ground in 

 open country, and, of course, can only be used 

 in clear weather, when the rays of the sun are 

 refracted by the mirrors, with the result that 



