346 
ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 
carri el off without the slightest attention in their behalf from 
their guardian. 
* * * * # 
Early in August (8th) the pups that are nearest the water on 
the rookeries essay swimming, but make slow and clumsy pro 
gress, floundering about, when over head in depth, in the most 
awkward manner, thrashing the water with their fore-flippers, 
not using the hinder ones. In a few seconds, or a minute at the 
most, the youngest is so wary that he crawls out upon the rocks 
or beach, and immediately takes a recuperative nap, repeating 
the lesson as quick as he awakes and is rested. They soon get 
familiar with the water and delight in it, swimming in endless 
evolutions, twisting, turning, diving ; and when exhausted, they 
draw up on the beach again, shake themselves as young dogs 
do, either going to sleep on the spot, or having a lazy frolic 
among themselves. 
In this matter of learning to swim, I have not seen any 
‘ driving ’ of the young pups into the water by the old in order 
to teach them this process, as has been affirmed by writers on 
the subject of seal life. 
Otter . — The fact that otters admit of being taught to 
catch fish and bring them to their masters, shows no 
small degree of docility on the part of these animals. 6 1 
have seen,’ says Dr. Goldsmith, 6 an otter go to a gentle- 
man’s pond at word of command, drive the fish into a 
corner, and, seizing upon the largest of the whole, bring 
it off in his mouth to his master.’ And several other cases 
of the same kind are given by Bingley. 1 
Weasel. — 6 Mdlle. de Faister described her tame weasel 
to Buffon as playing with her fingers like a kitten, jump- 
ing on her head and neck ; and if she presented her hands 
at the distance of three feet, it jumped into them without 
ever missing. It distinguished her voice amidst twenty 
people, and sprang over everybody to get at her. She found 
it impossible to open a drawer or a box, or even to look 
at a paper, without his examining it also. If she took up 
a paper or book, and looked attentively at it, the weasel 
immediately ran upon her hand, and surveyed with an in- 
quisitive air whatever she happened to hold.’ 2 
1 Animal Biography , vol. iii., pp. 301-2. 
2 Thompson, Passions in Animals, p. 337. 
