ANIMAL CONSCIOUSNESS 27 



in other words, with tricks. But not Only did stupid 

 orthodoxy dispose of the matter in this way, but also the 

 enlightened, who believe everything unusual to be con- 

 trary to reason. They put the Hans problem on a level 

 with spiritualism, and were convinced that if the veil 

 were removed a crass imposition would be revealed. 

 Professional trainers who regarded themselves as well 

 informed did not hesitate to give expression to this same 

 view, even though they had observed Hans inad- 

 equately or not at all. 



The defenders of this second point of view were not 

 at a loss to point out the signs supposed to be given to 

 Hans. One of these believed he had discovered the 

 primary means for giving these signs in the slouch hat 

 of Mr. von Osten. It was no accident, they said, that 

 Mr. Schillings wore a slouch hat when he experimented 

 with the horse. It is sufficient to note that Mr. Schil- 

 lings was usually bare-headed or wore only a cap when 

 he tested the horse. Another accused, in like fashion, 

 the long coat of the experimenter ; a third, who " had 

 had opportunity to observe Hans on several occasions," 

 declared with equal certainty that the cue lay in the 

 movements of the hand as it was thrust into the pocket 

 filled with carrots. One circus-star declared, that the 

 trick lay in eye movements, another such star declared it 

 lay in the movements of the hand. A sixth discovered 

 that the signs were " manifold " and adds, " to be sure, the 

 trainer must have a fund of such signs in order to prevent 

 embarrassment." Such a hypothesis is itself, it would 

 seem, one of embarrassment. On the other hand, there 

 were many first-class observers who vainly tried to dis- 

 cover regularly recurring signs; among them the only 

 professional trainer, — who had devoted any satisfactory 



