362 
ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 
cover the thief, he was determined to watch his store- 
room. Accordingly, having laid in a fresh stock of eggs, 
he seated himself at night in a situation that commanded 
a view of his eggs. To his great astonishment he saw a 
number of rats approach ; they formed a line from his egg 
baskets to their hole, and handed the eggs from one to 
another in their fore-paws . 5 1 
Another device to which rats resort for the procuring 
of food is mentioned in all the anecdote books, and it 
seemed so interesting that I tried some direct experiments 
upon the subject. I shall first state the alleged facts in. 
the words of Watson : — 
As to oil, rats have been known to get oil out of a narrow- 
necked bottle in the following way : — One of them would place 
himself, on some convenient support, by the side of the bottle, 
and then, dipping his tail into the oil, would give it to another 
to lick. In this act there is something more than what we call 
instinct ; there is reason and understanding . 2 
Jesse also gives the following account: — 
A box containing some bottles of Florence oil was placed 
in a store-room which was seldom opened ; the box had no lid 
to it. On going to the room one day for one of the bottles, the 
owner found that the pieces of bladder and cotton at the mouth 
of each bottle had disappeared, and that much of the contents 
of the bottles had been consumed. The circumstance having 
excited suspicion, a few bottles were refilled with oil, and the 
mouths of them secured as before. NText morning the coverings 
of the bottles had been removed, and some of the oil was gone. 
However, upon watching the room, which was done through 
a little window, some rats were seen to get into the box, and 
insert their tails into the necks of the bottles, and then with- 
drawing them, they licked off the oil which adhered to them . 3 
Lastly, Rodwell gives another case similar in all essen- 
tial respects, save that the rat licked its own tail instead 
of presenting it to a companion. 
The experiment whereby I tested the truth of these 
Jesse, Gleanings, & c., ii., p. 281. 
2 Reasoning Power in A nimals , p. 293. 
s Li>e. cit . 
