Mental Processes in Animals. 369 



not the principle of the screw, but that the action of screw- 

 ing produced the results he desired — a very different 

 matter. My friend, Mr. S. H. Swayne, tells me that the 

 elephant at the Clifton Zoo, having taking a tennis-racket 

 from a boy who had been plaguing him, broke it by leaning 

 it against a step and deliberately stepping on it in the 

 middle, where it was unsupported. A most intelligent 

 action. And it would have been a capital piece of exercise 

 for the lad's reasoning power, had he been required to 

 analyze the matter, to show why the elephant's action had 

 the desired effect, and set forth the principle involved. I 

 do not think the elephant himself possesses the faculty 

 requisite for such a piece of reasoning. He is content 

 with the practical success of his actions ; principles are 

 beyond him. 



I will now give two instances of intelligence in verte- 

 brates which exemplify phases of inference somewhat 

 different from those which we have so far considered. Mr. 

 Watson, in his "Keasoning Power of Animals,"* tells of an 

 elephant which was suffering from eye-trouble, and nearly 

 blind. A Dr. Webb operated on one eye, the animal being 

 made to lie down for the purpose. The pain was intense, 

 and the great beast uttered a terrific roar. But the effect 

 was satisfactory, for the sight was partially restored. On 

 the following day the elephant lay down of himself, and 

 submitted quietly to a similar operation on the other eye. 

 No doubt the elephant's action here was, in part, the result 

 of its wonderful docility and training. But there was also 

 probably the inference that, since Dr. Webb had already 

 given him relief, he would do so again. The anticipation 

 of relief outmasterecl the anticipation of immediate dis- 

 comfort or pain. I do not think, however, that any one 

 is likely to contend that any rational analysis of the 

 phenomena is necessarily involved in the elephant's 

 behaviour. 



The other instance I will quote was communicated by 

 Mr. George Bidie to Nature.^ He there gives an account 

 * Page 54. t Vol. sx. p. 96. 



2 B 



