EDUCABILITY OF ANIMALS. 
479 
There being an abundance of these creatures near the keeper’s 
lodge, her education advanced rapidly by frequent exercise, and 
in a few weeks she was able to retrieve game as well as the best 
pointer. Slut, as this extraordinary animal was called, was con- 
sidered to have a more acute scent than any pointer in the charge 
of the keeper, and his was a kennel of the highest character. 
They hunted her principally on moors and heaths ; and it often 
happened, that, when left behind, she would come of her own 
accord and join the pointers. “ She has often stood a jack snipe 
when all the pointers had passed it : she would back the dogs 
when they pointed, but the dogs refused to back her until spoke 
to — Toomer’s dogs being all trained to make a general halt when 
the word was given, whether any dog pointed or not, so that she 
has been frequently standing in the midst of a field of pointers. 
In consequence of the dogs being not much inclined to hunt when 
she was with them (for they dropped their sterns, and shewed 
symptoms of jealousy), she did not very often accompany them, 
except for the novelty. Her pace was mostly a trot; she was 
seldom known to gallop, except when called to go out shooting ; 
she would then come home off the forest at full stretch, and be as 
much elated as a dog at being shewn the gun. She always ex- 
pressed great pleasure when game, either dead or living, was 
placed before her. She has frequently stood a single partridge 
at forty yards’ distance, her nose in a direct line to the bird : 
after standing some considerable time, she would drop like a setter, 
still keeping her nose in an exact line, and would continue in that 
position until the game moved : if it took wing, she would come 
up to the place, and draw slowly after it ; and when the bird 
dropped, she would stand it as before*.” 
These facts, together with what common observation presents 
to us in domesticated parrots, blackbirds, ravens, magpies, mon- 
keys, &c., place the educability of animals upon a basis, in our 
opinion, not to be shaken. But the most wonderful thing, and 
the most convincing part of the proof, remains, in the fact of the 
transmission of acquired qualities by animals to progeny. The 
habit which education has conferred upon the pointer appears in 
his puppy, who may be seen earnestly standing at swallows and 
pigeons in a farm-yard, before he has ever once seen such a thing 
done by his seniors, or received the least instruction. Here only 
the object is amiss; the act itself is perfect. As may be readily 
supposed, the puppy of a race of English pointers can be trained 
to the whole business of the field in one-tenth of the time which 
the most experienced breaker would require to effect any improve- 
ment upon the simple instinct of the pause in an original Spanish 
Daniel’s Rural Sports. 
