THE WAYS OF LIFE 261 



where, but this remains, on the whole, a vague innuendo. 

 There is no evidence whatever that Herr Krall is other 

 than a perfectly honourable and absolutely disinterested 

 inquirer, anxious to get at the facts. Turning to concrete 

 objections, we find that unbeUeving critics have referred 

 to the darkness of the stable ; to the mesmeric influence 

 of Krall ; to the fact that the horses concentrate their 

 attention on their master, the groom, and their carrots, 

 and pay httle heed to the problem on the board ; to the 

 continuous flow of remarks addressed to the horses by Krall 

 in varied tones, from pianissimo to fortissimo ; to the all 

 too constant presence of the groom, Albert, who sometimes 

 (according to Wigge) touches the horses suggestively ! 

 Each and all of these objections must be fully met by 

 further investigation, but it is interesting to note that 

 many of them have been already met by particular 

 experiments, to some of which we have referred. 



We have stated the two interpretations — each beset 

 with difficulties. On the extreme sceptical view, the horses 

 stamp out an answer which is somehow communicated 

 to them by some practical joker who can compute rapidly, 

 and who must be having the time of his life reading the 

 hterature on the subject. On this view, which is beset 

 with great difificulties, the horses are showing remarkable 

 sensitiveness to minute signals and extraordinary dociUty 

 in their innocent complicity. It is plainly the task of 

 further investigation to answer, one after another, all the 

 objections which unfriendly critics have urged. 



On the other view, which finds no evidence of trickery, 

 the results seem indeed like the beginning of a new chapter 

 in Animal Psychology. The horses have shown not only 

 extraordinary powers of precise attention, concentration, 



