Teaching Animals to Converse.

Te Aroha News, Volume 1, Issue 45, 12 April 1884, Page 5

Teaching Animals to Converse.

Miss Martineau once remarked that, considering how long we have lived in close association with animals, it is astonishing how little we know about them, and especially about their mental condition. This applies with especial force to our domestic animals, and above all, of course, to dogs. Under these circumstances it has occurred to me whether some such system as that followed with deaf-mutes, especially by Dr. Howe with Laura Bridgman, might not prove very instructive if adapted to the case of dogs. Accordingly I prepared some pieces of stout cardboard, and printed on each in legible letters a word such as "Pood," 1 ' Bone, " " Out, " &c. The head-master of one of the deaf and dumb schools kindly agreed to assist me. We each began with # a terrier puppy, but neither of us obtained any satisfactory results. My dog, indeed, was lost before I had him long. I then began training a black poodle, " Van " by name, kindly given me by my friend Mr Nickalls. I commenced by giving the dog food in a saucer, over which I laid the card on which was the word " Food," placing also by the side an empty saucer, covered by a plain card. " Van " soon learned to distinguish between the two, and the next stage was to teach him to bring me the card ; this he now does, and hands it to me quite prettily, and I then give him a bone, or a little food, or take him out, according to the card brought. He still brings sometimes a plain card, in which case I point out his error, and he then takes it back and changes it. This, however, does not often happen. Yesterday morning, for instance, " Van" brought me the card with "Food" on it nine times in succession, selecting it from among other plain cards, though I changed the relative position every time. No one who sees him can doubt that he understands the act of bringing the card with the word "Food" on it as a request for something to eat, and that he distinguishes, between it and a plain card. I also believe that he distinguishes, for instance, between the card with the word "Food" on it and the card with "Out" on it. This then seems to open up a method which may be carried much further, for it is obvious that the cards may be multiplied, and the dog thus enabled to communicate freely with us. I have as yet, I know, made only a very small beginning, but hope to carry the experiment much further. — Sir John Lubbock in "Nature."