354 
ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 
is not of sufficiently general occurrence among all species 
of rodents to allow us to suppose that the species in which 
it does occur have derived it from a common ancestry. 
Rabbit . 
Rabbits are somewhat stupid animals, exhibiting but 
small resources under novel circumstances, although in- 
heriting several clever instincts, such as that of rapidly 
deciding upon the alternative of flight or crouching, 
which is usually done with the best judgment. I have, 
however, often observed that the animal does not seem to 
have sense enough to regard the colour of the surface on 
which it crouches, so that if this happens to be inappro- 
priate, the rabbit may become conspicuous, and so its 
crouching a source of danger. I have been particularly 
struck with the fact that black rabbits inherit the crouch- 
ing instinct as strongly as do normally coloured ones, with 
the effect of rendering themselves highly conspicuous. This 
shows that the instinct is not necessarily correlated with 
the colour which alone renders the instinct useful, but 
that both have developed simultaneously and indepen- 
dently, and by natural selection. The fact also shows that 
the crouching of rabbits is purely instinctive, and not due 
to any conscious process of comparing their own colour 
with that of the surfaces on which they crouch. No 
doubt the instinct began and was developed by natural 
selection placing a premium upon the better judgment of 
those individuals which know when best to seek safety in 
flight and when by crouching — protective colouring being 
added at the same time by the same agency. 
Another fact, which every one who shoots must have 
observed, goes to show the stupidity of rabbits, or their 
inability to learn by experience. When alarmed they run 
for their burrows, and when they reach them, instead of 
entering they very frequently squat down to watch the 
enemy. Now, although they well know the distance at 
which it is safe to allow a man with a gun to approach, 
excess of curiosity, or a mistaken feeling of security in 
being so near their homes, induces the animals to allow a 
