THIKING HORSES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3098, 30 July 1913, Page 76

THIKING HORSES.

ANIMAL PSYCHOLOGY OP STAGE THICK Eli Y ? I be reports which we have heard for some time past of horses that read, do sums in arithmetic, and even spell out spontaneously their “thoughts,” would probably be utterly ignored by scientific men were they not—at least in part—authenticated by persons of unquestionable authority and integrity. As it is, we must accept the facts, whatever their meaning may be. It will be remembered that some years ago a certain Herr von Osten astonished the world by the performances of his horse, “Her Kluge Hans,” which at the time were accepted by some eminent men of science as giving evidence of remarkable reasoning powers of the equine brain. Then (writes the Berlin correspondent of the Scientific American) came destructive criticism, seemingly crushing criticism, from Dr 0. Pfnngst, who claimed to have demonstrated that the horse took his clue for his replies to questions set him from signals given—no doubt involuntarily—by his master. - Thus, if the horse were stamping out a reply—so many beats bf his hoof—his master would, when the right number was reached, give indication of the fact by an involuntary gesture. Dr Pfungst’s criticism seemed well founded, though, perhaps, to some it may have seemed that a horse who would react to such slight indications was almost as clever as 'one that could read. However this may be, tlie matter was not to bo disposed of thus lightly. Newspaper notices on Herr von Osten’s horse had aroused the interest of Mr Karl Krall, of Elborfield, who, though a prominent business man, had always taken an active part in scientific and psychological problems. When in May, 1905, after the publication bf Dr Pfungst’s negative certificate, public interest in Clever Hans seemed to have definitely vanished. Krai! went to see Herr von Osten and his pupil and volunteered his collaboration in the task of disproving the adverse criticism of the acknowledged representatives of psychological science. Special precautions were taken which seemed to preclude any possibility bf signalling, vet the horse worked his problems as well as before. —lnteresting Tests.— In order to ascertain whether Hans's accomplishments were the outcome of exceptional capacities or of abnormal equine intelligence, Krall then purchased two Arab steeds. Muhamed and Zarif. The instruction of these horses commenced on November 2, 1908. and was carried out in a simplified and rational manner, on the main lines of von Oslen's method, but witn some modifications to avoid certain defects. According to von Osten’s method each figure was indicated by a corresponding number of beats of the hoof, Krall taught his horses to indicate the tens with the left and the units with the right hoof. After only three days’ teaching the. horses were able to recognise the first figures. 1. 2, 3. written on the board, touching with their mouths the number pronounced by the teacher. After 10 days Muhamed could count as far as 4. Some davs afterwards his teacher explained to him the significance of the tens and the use of his left foot in striking the tens and the right in marking the units. On November 14—i.0., 12 days after the first lesson—"Muhamed did correctly a whole series of simple sums, 1 plus 3,2 plus 5. etc., and even subtractions, such as 8 minus 3. On November 18 Mr Krall proceeded to teach multiplication and division. and. on the 21st. fractions and .sums of fractions. In December Muhamed learned some French, and was now able

to solve his tasks in arithmetic both when enunciated in French and German. In the month of May of the following year -Vluhamod could extract square roots, cube roots, and solve all s’orts of complex pro blems, which seemed to exceed the powers of human arithmeticians, anart from calculating prodigies. In February, 1909, commenced the reading or spelling lessons. A conventional alphabet, in which each letter or diphthong is represented by a figure intermediary between 11 and 66, was used in this connection. _ Zarif was thus able, after four months tuition, of his own accord to spell any words pronounced before him, e'en though he had never seen them written. A rather peculiar fact is tint both horses would, with the greatest obstinacy, cling to phonetic spelling, which they would vary on different occasions in a manner which seems to show that they were really seeking to render the sound of the word. The word “Pferd” (horse), pronounced approximately “pfaird,” was, for instance, spelled on different days in the following different ways:— By Muhamcd: Bfert, bfrt, fard, fert, frt, faart. faerd, faert, farm, fvferd, frtt, pard, pfart, ppverd, pfer, pferd. tfert, fed. By Zarif: Bfcrd, fared, fferwt, fvert, pfrtle, sdfert. pfert, bffet, fdaerp, etc. —Equme “ Conversation.”— The following account of a ‘‘conversa tiou held with the horses in the presenc.B of Dr Hermann Dekker may serve to git’s some idea of the remarkable claims made for the thinking horse. Muhamed happened to be ill, being lame on one hied leg. The-veterinary surgeon, Herr Mittman, had just called and had prescribed water compresses, which AlvUrb- the groom, had to put On. Dr Dekkei was introduced to Zarif in the following Vnau,ler : —‘‘This gentleman is also a "doctor, like D,r Mittman, who called yesterday to see Muhamed. However, he is i doctor for men and not for horses.” After half an hour’s calculating and spelling exercises with Zarif, the horse was asked, ‘‘Do you still know the gentleman's name?” and Zarif telegraphed in his own code “Dgr,” which is the correct equivalent of Dekker. ‘‘What is the gentleman?”—‘‘Dgtr.” “Is there not a letter missing?”—“Q.” “At which place?”— “2.” A short- time ago Krai I added to his party of thinking horses a pony called Hanschen and a blind, horse Berto. The results obtained with the latter are especially remarkable. The horse being in addition devoid of any sense of smell, could only receive outside impressions, through the ear or his seuce of touch, both of which were found to be highly developed. As the animal, moreover, turned out to be remarkably gifted for “arithmetical” exercises, he after a week or two was able to do any simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division read out to him or written on his skin. Such, are the accounts of some of the remarkable feats reported from the repertoire of these “learned” horses. And what are wo to think of them? It will bo wise to reserve our opinion for the present. But a criticism offered by M. Quinton is much to the noint. He draws attention to the remarkable fact that these horses extract square and cube roots with apparently the same facility as they do simple additions and subtractions. This seems to indicate clearly, according to M. Quinton, that the performance depends on some trick or unconscious collusion between the master and the horse.