"STARTLING."

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 136, 11 June 1934, Page 5

"STARTLING."

CLEVERNESS OF DOG. TESTED BY PSYCHOLOGIST. 'NO THOUGHT TRANSFERENCE' Two years ago considerable interest was aroused throughout New Zealand by the publication of an article which described a scries of amazing tricks performed by Rajah, an Alsatian dog owned by Constable J. Robertson, of Methven. Three months ago Dr. D. G. Wallace, of Methven, wrote an article in which lie suggested that Rajah possessed the faculty of mental telepathy, and that some of his tricks were due to his power to read the human mind. This theory attracted the attention of Dr. C. E. Beeby, lecturer in psychology at Canterbury College, and led to his making a visit to Methven in company with Dr. C. Coleridge Farr, professor of physics. Assisted by Mr. and Mrs. A. G. W. Sparrow, of Christchurch, Dr. Beeby subjected Rajah to a series of gruelling tests designed to eliminate possible explanations of his powers until the most likely one was found. Dr. Farr, Dr. Wallace, and Mr. Robertson also took part in the experiments. Dr. Beeby told the "Christchurch Times" that the actual performance of the dog was rather startling. He was a magnificent animal, and came out of the tests remarkably well. "His tricks are remarkable, but as far as I can see they reveal no trace of thought transference," said Dr. Beeby. "During the two days on which I conducted experiments I saw nothing which could not be explained." Extremely High Intelligence. As a result of the experiments, Dr. Beeby has formed the opinion that Rajah's feats are due to his extremely high level of intelligence, a welldeveloped and delicate sense of smell, and his thorough training from an early age. The tests were based on the following explanations, and were designed to eliminate each one: (1) That the dog found the articles by following the scent of tb2 person. J.2X That he-

possessed a smell plan of the field in which the tricks were done, similar to the visual plan of a room retained by people. (3) That he held a visual plan. (4) That lie was directed by conscious or unconscious signs from his master or observers. (5) That he possessed the faculty of mental telepathy. Rajah's fame rests principally on his power to find articles which ho has not previously seen, and which are hidden while he is 6hut up in a shed. Dr. Beeby and his fellow observers tested the dog in the paddock at the rear of Mr. Robertson's home, where he has performed on many occasions before newspapermen, photographers and others. One of the first tests was based on the fact that Rajah does not follow the tracks of the person hiding the article. A peg was hidden about 150 yards from the shed in which Rajah was shut up, the experimenter taking a zig-zag course. When released, the dog found the peg in 42 seconds by the stop-watch, although he did not follow the immediate tracks of the experimenter. Support of the theory that Rajah depended -upon his sense of smell given when he failed to find a peg after five people had worked over the tracks of the person who had hidden it. The explanation that he possessed a smell plan of the particular field was disproved, because the dog worked equally well when taken into another field. The suggestion of guidance from his master was also eliminated as a possible factor, for Rajah performed in the same way when Mr. Robertson was not present. Following the Smell Tracks. The suggestion that Rajah possesses the faculty of mental telepathy was also disproved, for when five pegs had been placed in a row, and everyone concentrated on the middle one, he brought back the end one. This test was repeated, and the dog took another one, definite proof that lie had not read the minds of the experimenters. Further tests on similar lines all led to the same conclusion. By this time Dr. Beeby had secured enough data to enable him to formulate a theory which would explain the dog's tricks. He said that Rajah obtained his general line of search from the smell tracks of the person hiding the article, and continued until the definite track ended. He did not need to follow the exact tracks, for people often made a bee line of a similar type. Usually he overshot his mark, and then put his nose down and followed the person's detailed scent until he came to an object touchedjby--hajKL, . , _ , _ . ■