POWER OF THINKING

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXIV, Issue 3236, 22 November 1934, Page 3

POWER OF THINKING

SAGACITY OF HORSES , ( There is an old grey horse at Randwick who suffers from periodical attacks of colic. When gripped by the pain, he simply strolls up to the premises, of Mr Roy, Stewart, veterinary surgeon, and lies down outside the gate until given, a dose of medicine (says a Sydney message). Then the old fellow gets up, nods his head, and either strolls off home or waits for the owner to call for him. “Well,” you say, “if that’s not brains ” It is. But those brains are used in a different way from the human brain. They work on the lines of habit, association of ideas, and instinct, which does not mean the power to reason. . . ... - An extraordinary example of this sagacity of. animals is provided by the cow which travelled from Ryde to Liverpool, swimming the Parramatta River en route, in order to return to her calf. The cow had been taken to Ryde by motor truck, but left the dairy within a day or two. Mr Roy Stewart is definitely of opinion that animals have power to think, but not to reason. He illustrates this with the following examples.

A horse was tested with a piece of sugar, the sweet always being taken from the same coat pocket. Eventually the horse would try to get the sugar from the pocket of his own accord . This went on for some time, and then the sugar was one day changed to the opposite coat pocket. The horse was nonplussed, and did not have the reasoning power as a human would, to try the other pocket. Similarly, an animal may learn to unlatch a gate if taught, and its power of “one track” thought will enable it to repeat the feat. But if the position or design of the latch be changed, ;he animal’s power is gone.

Mr Stewart once treated a fox terrier for a well-known Randwick bookmaker. When cured; the dog, which had been in considerable pain, would not leave the premises. For tbi'ee months the ,foxy haunted the place, and if had to be chastised before it would eventually leave. It was another example of the power of unreasoning thought. The' dog simply knew that it had been relieved of its pain by Mr Stewart, and would not leave him.

After years of study of animals, Mr Stewart believes that the dog has the highest degree of intelligence. He would place the horse next, and then the cow and the cat in third place. Low on the list is the sheep. The dog, he says, can ri be taught more quickly than other animals'. Dogs and cats are jealous if their masters show „to another, while the calm horse .hagknot da spark of jealously in him. This opens up another question of

whether animals are capable of emotion. How can any creature, animal or human, show jealousy, if it doesn’t think ? The ability to thing without reason is shown in the breaking-in methods adopted with elephants and horses. An elephant is broken with a chain on his leg, and is plainly given to understand that he cannot move. A rope is used round a horse’s head in the same way. Thereafter, says Mr Stewart, if you put a chain round an elephant’s leg it will stand in the one position till it dies. Similarly, 'he has proved that he can lead a horse with even a pi§ce of cotton.