Animals With Reckoning Faculties.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1629, 5 October 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

Animals With Reckoning Faculties.

To? my?clf, I o&nnol; see why the cor.olu- : sion ia denied that animals, aa they com3 to apprehend tha advent of Sunday, bave some way of keeping count Gf the eeven days of tbe we?k. Tbo following fact bears directly upon thftt point : Something like half a century ago tho writer had the care snd milking of nvS caws during ons summer. They grazed in a p»eturo lot cot far from tha dwelling. It was tho custom to give tho &nim&!3 salt every Sunday rnorning. They enjoyed the treat, and it was evident that they bagan to expect it. A'ser & length of time— l oannot say how long — & curious behavior of the o&ttie became conspiououp, for every Sunday morning they were found standing at the bars, tho poms. nearest the house, with every appearance of mute expectation. At every other cioraiog, &a well aa at evening, they had to be Bought and brought to the bara for milking. Soinatimes I would forget to take the salt with nia at the stated time, when, instead of moving off to feed after my task was done, as th6y usually did, tbey remained about tha spot as hour or so, as if waiting for their weekly rations of salt. Here, then is the problem : Every Sunday morning t.he3o cowa came of their own option to the place of milking, and where on tbat day they generally got salf, and not on other morning". How could they do that, cxaept through some faculty of estirnaiing the seven days of tbe week.