The Dawn of Reason; or, Mental Traits in the Lower Animals

nds, is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils." The above quotation is the thoug

with a single exception-the spider-will be found to be of kind disposition, and not given to "treasons, stratagems, and spoils" other than those required by their struggle for existence. So true is this rule, that the single exception-the spider-proves the verity of the deduction or conclusion. For, like many men, the spider's love for the beau

are disagreeable to them, I have not a scintilla of doubt. The following facts bearing on this point came under my own obser

tently. Her palpi would vibrate with almost inconceivable rapidity, while every now and then she would lift her anterior pair of legs and wave them to and fro, and up and down. Just as soon, however, as

cial purpose of experiment; I seated myself at the organ and commenced to improvise on the swell organ with flute, viol d'amour, and tremulant stops out. In a few moments the spider let herself down from the ceiling and hung suspended before my eyes. So close was she that I could see her palpi vibrating rapidly and continuously. I suddenly dropped to great organ and burst into a loud, quick galop; the spider at once turned and ascended towards the ceiling with the utmost rapidity. Again and again I enticed her from her home in the ceiling, or sent her scurrying back, by playing slo

ing, I may state that once, while confined to my room for a long time by sickness, I became intimately acquainted with a wolf-spider which seemed to take an ?sthetic delight in her toilet. This lycosid became so very tame that she would crawl upon my finger and allow herself to be brought close to my eyes, so that I could observe her deft and skilful movements while beautifying her person. She learned to know m

and birds, whose love-songs form such a large part of the ?sthetic in nature; yet the instance I am about to relate cannot

on pleasant summer nights, he and his sisters and brothers were in the habit of going to the stiles some distance away from the house and there singing and playing on the guitar and violin for several hours. The quails roosted on a dresser in the kitchen, but, as soon as the music began, they left their roost and flew to the stiles no matter how late in the night it might be, and there they would stay, perched on the shoulders of the musicians, until the concert was over; they would then go back to roost. They seemed to be passionately fond of the singing voice, and wo

greeably affected by certain musical sounds. Close observation has taught me the fact that certain musical keys are more agreeable to dogs than others. If a composition in a certain key, the fundamental note of which is agreeable to a dog, be played, he will either listen quietly and intently to the soun

asionally giving utterance to low howls, the notes being either B?, E?, or some other note in accord with G. This dog visits a house next door to another church, the bell of which sounds F. He never shows the slightest

with the church-bell. Does he do this knowingly (consciously), or is it simply an accid

e has any knowledge whatever of harmony, such as an educated musician possesses, or such even as the inherited experiences of a thousand years of music-loving ancestors would naturally impress upon the mind of a civilized European of to-day, but that he has an acquired imitative faculty (a faculty possessed by some

animal to answer his master, thus originating the first vocables-barking-in the canine language), by conversing with him. In all probability, it is

is listening to his own singing, not (as is generally supposed) as it pours forth from his throat, bu

standing in the neighborhood, you will also notice that there is always an echo, more or less distinct, of his barking; and, if you will observe closely, you will see that the dog listens for this echo, and that he will not resume his song until it (the echo) has entirely ceased. T

to me to dispossess the dog and take his place beneath the bush. I called him out and succeeded with much difficulty in getting beneath the bush, from whence I, imitating his voice, sent several howling barks. My theory was no longer merely theory, but was, instead, a v

Pied Piper of Hamelin is by no means recent, nor is it confined to European peoples alone; in one form or another it exists among Asiatic, In

creatures were peculiarly susceptible to minor chords, or to compositions played in minors, and that quick, lively music would bring them

f Owensboro, Kentucky,[63] tells me that when he lived in Cuba, New York, a mouse dwelt beneath a bookcase in his room, and that he often performed the following experiment: Seating himself at the piano, he would begin improvising softly. In a few moments the mouse would come from beneath the bookcase, approach the centre of the roo

mice, which lived in his room, were influenced by the music of his violin. When he played an andante movement pianissimo, t

umber, came out from beneath the casing of the fireplace. They took places on the hearth, several feet distant from one another, and first one, and then the other, sang. Their songs were low and musical, not unlike the song of the canary, though there were no cadenzas o

ditor of Fashions, w

rtain things and humming softly to myself. Presently, a shadowy something caught my eye, and I discovered a little mouse, very young evidently, then another and another, until fou

a closed tone, and in a second the little creatures were out again, standing perfectly still, as if the sound gave them delight. Gradually I

audience once, and by this time the little creatures, grown so fat a

st the walls of the Campanile, gray and phantom-like in the moonlight, and, singing softly to herself, was surprised at discovering several little lizards lying about on the stones, their heads held alertly

captured while thus inthralled. Some lizards are fairly good musicians themselves, notably the tree lizards of

his spring note but little changed amid the trees?' Doubtless it is, but I must see him in the very act. So I watched and waited, but to no purpose, till one day, while bee-hunting in the woods, I heard the sound proceeding from the leaves at my feet. Keeping entirely quiet, the little musician presently emerged, a

e frequently collected about me as many as ten or a dozen by sounding this ins

, while handling that deadly poisonous creature, the cobra-de-capello, plays continuously on flageolets, fifes, or other musical instru

dings to the negro gardener. He called one of the hands from the field, and, after placing him with a loaded shotgun at one side of the hole in the wall, took his station just behind him and commenced to play on his fiddle. In a few moments the snake came out, and was killed by the discharge of the gun in the ha

, I wish to call attention to the fact that Romanes declares that

manifest in musical sounds is not always restri

fine pianist, "and whenever she played the air of Speri si from Handel's opera of 'Admetus,' a pigeon would descend from an adjacent dovecot to the window of the room where she sat, 'and listen to t

always flies to the window of the music-room as soon as he hears the sound of the violin, where he will quie

tion for musical sounds, especially whe

, hence, when we see evidences of these mental operations, we must acknowledg

many species of animals when courting the females, to simple pastime, for they are the outward manifestations of sexual desire, and are not examples of psychical amusement. I have seen, in actinophorous rhizopods, certain actions, unconnected with sexual desire or the gratification of appetite, which lead me to believe that these minute microscopic organisms have their pastimes and moments of simple amusement. On several occasions while observin

exercising with an invisible skipping-rope. They would keep up this play for several minutes and then resume feeding or quietly remain at rest. This rotifer goes through another performance which I also believe to be s

hed each other, and, when immediately opposite, began slowly to wave their heads from side to side. They then bowed several times in courtly salutation. This performance they kept up for quite a while and then moved away in different directions. At no time did they co

s occasions, and at different seasons of the year, I have captured dozens of these insects in my net and have examined them microscopically. I found them all to be unimpregnated females; I have never yet discovered a ma

ld only explain as simulating festival sports or other games."[67] On the 27th of September last, the males and females of a colony of Lasius flavus emerged from their nest; I saw these young kings and queens congregate about the entrance of the nest and engage in playf

mpanied by a minute beetle (Claviger foveolatus); the ants caressed and played wi

and I have kept hundreds, I may say thousands, in my nests. They run in and out among the ants, keeping their antenn? in a perpetual state of vibration."[69] I have frequently noticed an insect bel

alled "lady-bug tree" because, year after year, these insects collect there and hold their curious conventions. They caress one another with their antenn?, and ge

ave witnessed many other instances of true psychical amusement in the lower animals, but do not think it is necessary to detail them here. Suffice it to say that I believ

building of their nests, which they ornament an

n which I live, which was beautifully ornamented with the exuviated skin of a black snake (Bascanion constrictor). This skin must have been at least five feet in length, and the l

se: they not only render the nest beautiful, but they also serve to protect it by making it resemble the limb

, which he ornaments profusely with every glittering, shining, striking object that he can carry to his bower in the depths of the forest. This bower is built of twigs, and, when completed, is an oblong,

owned by Mr. George Hahn of St. Louis), which construct

obably, the root and beginning of much

Yankee governess, a tall, angular spinster, from Maine, made the meaning of this copy clear to my infant mind, pointing her remarks by calling attention to the Kentucky real estate which

t toilet-making; and we know that they spend a large portion of their time in cleansing and beautifying their bodies. Some of them are dependent on their own ministrations

mily are entirely dependent on the ministrations of mutualists, as these little hygienic servitors are called, in matters of the toilet. Notably, the gilt catfish, which would undoubtedly die if deprived of its mutualist, the Gyropeltes. This remarkable little creature does not live on the body of its ho

wever, is, I believe, my pet locust, "Whiskers"-so named by a little niece, on account of her long, graceful antenn?. "Whiskers" is one of the smallest of her family, and is a dainty, lovely, agile little creature, light olive-green in color

al minutes closely examining it. She will stand off at a little distance and pass her antenn? over every portion of it. Then she will come closer and make a more minute examination,

her sharp jaws and masticates with seeming delight. She nips out a piece of skin, cocks her head on one side, and, looking up at me with

m. She is fond of water, however, and makes frequent excursions to the water-pitcher across the room. H

ences by first carefully cleansing her antenn?, drawing each of them through her mouth repeatedly. Then she treats her fore-legs to a thorough scrubbing, going over every portion with her tongue and jaws. With her fore-legs, using them as hands, she then cleans her head and shoulders, if I may use the latter term. Her middle legs and her long "vaulters" are then subjected to the same careful treatment. Her back

hem possess some of the acquired higher emotions, such, for instance, as parental affection. The evidence se

TNO

y Romanes, Animal Intelligence, pp. 205, 206;

tore this instance of decorative ?stheticism occurred, called my atte

ell, Esq., Owen

their truth, I would yet like to have them substantiated by other obser

essor L.

rp Eyes, pp. 105

movements of the Hindu performer, who dances, salaams, etc., continually while giving e

e, p. 282; quoted by Bingley, An

hiere, p. 163; quoted also by Ro

by five or six old ants, which watched over the young and kept them from straying away. The young ants pl

Ants, Bees, an

imal Parasites and M

an untimely fate at the hands of an Irish chambermaid, who was a recent impor