220 THE HORSE OF MR. VON OSTEN 



ually decreased in scope. And the reason again, why this 

 jerk tended to become less pronounced was that the tests 

 were gradually becoming more and more successful. For, 

 corresponding to the degree in which the horse began to 

 react properly, the instructor's tenseness and excitement 

 tended to decrease, and with this decrease of the emo- 

 tional element in the man's consciousness, the accompany- 

 ing non-voluntary, expressive movement gradually be- 

 came less pronounced until it attained that extraordinary 

 refinement which it possesses to-day. We noticed also, 

 that whenever the horse, for any reason, had to be trained 

 anew, Mr. von Osten's movements would, on the whole, 

 become somewhat more gross, as for instance after the 

 tests with the blinders. There is not a shadow of a 

 doubt that this increase in the movement's extent was en- 

 tirely unintentional, since the horse could not see his mas- 

 ter at all on account of the blinders which had been 

 attached to the trappings. 



In the same way it is possible to explain the details. 

 Mr. von Osten himself said that at first Hans had tapped 

 at times with his left foot, at times with his right, just 

 as he pleased. But later his master taught him to tap 

 only with the right. Whenever he began with the left, 

 Mr. von Osten would immediately interrupt him, and he 

 was allowed to add only a final tap with his left foot. 

 Thus, this additional tap which was sometimes made with 

 the left foot was but the vestige of an earlier rudimentary 

 habit. The signal for it was the stooping posture in which 

 the master remained after the head-jerk had been made. 

 Whenever Mr. von Osten had given Hans a small number 

 to tap, he would bend forward only a little. But when 

 he expected a larger number he would bend forward 

 somewhat more, owing to the desire to observe the tap- 



