ERASMUS AS A NATURALIST. 283 



things"; he simply ignored them in his search after the truth as 

 it is in nature, and some of his inductions came near the gener- 

 alisation of facts as now accepted after more than five hundred 

 years of observation, research, and even elaborate experimenta- 

 tion. For instance, we have had many books, brochures, maga- 

 zine articles, &c, devoted to the subject of " animal instinct v. 

 reason," and I would mention such standard works as 'Animal 

 Behaviour' and 'Habit and Instinct,' by Principal Lloyd Morgan. 

 It is now generally admitted that there is no definite dividing line 

 between what is called " animal instinct " and human reason, 

 however highly developed and widely contrasted may be the mani- 

 festations of the latter. Here is a passage from Erasmus's col- 

 loquy on " Amicitia " (Friendship), between Ephorinne and John 

 (Erasmus himself), in which he endows a Monkey with quite 

 superior reasoning (contrivance after reflection) powers. The 

 spelling is given as in the 1725 edition of Bailey : — 



Clever Tactics of A Monkey. 

 Joh. — That I may not be altogether Shot-free in this Entertain- 

 ment, I'll tell you what I saw with my own Eyes, in the house of that 

 famous Englishman Sir Thomas More : He kept in his House a large 

 Monkey, who, that he might the sooner get well of a Wound he had 

 received, was suffer'd to go loose. At the End of the Garden there 

 were Rabbets kept in Hutches, and a Weesel used to watch them very 

 narrowly. The Monkey sitting aloof off, quietly, as tho' unconcern'd, 

 observ'd all his Motions, till he saw the Rabbets were in no Danger 

 from him. But perceving the Weesel had loosened a Board in the 

 back Part of the Hutch, and that now they were in Danger to be 

 attack'd in the Rear, and so be made a Prey to their Enemy, the Ape 

 runs, jumps up on the Plank, and put it into its former Place, with as 

 much Dexterity as any Man could have done. From whence 'tis plain 

 that Apes are great Lovers of this Animal. So the Coneys, not know- 

 ing their own Danger, that used to kiss their Enemy through the Grate, 

 were preserved by the Monkey. 



About Adders : Fact or Fable ? 



Dr. Leighton has taught us a great deal about Adders, &c, 



in his ' British Serpents,' and obscure points are being cleared 



up in the columns of ' The Field Naturalist's Quarterly,' which 



only shows that we do not yet know everything about the habits 



z 2 



