As throwing light upon the question of the intelligence of the
animal creation, in the exhibition of memory and reasoning
power, beyond the mere pale of recognized instinct, I wish to
give a brief account of an interesting incident of which I was
the witness. On a very warm day in early summer I happened
to be standing near a chicken-coop in a back yard when I
noticed the head of a very gray and grizzled rat thrust from
a neighboring rat-hole, and concluded to watch the movements
of the veteran. After a careful survey of the surroundings,
our old rodent seemed to be satisfied that all was right, and
made a cautious exit from the home retreat. A fresh pan of
water had been recently placed before the chicken-coop for the
use of Mother “Chick” and her interesting brood. These all
seemed to have satisfied their thirst, and the water looked a
friendly invitation to the thirsty old rat, which immediately
started toward it. The rat had not reached the pan before
five half-grown young ones rushed ahead and tried to be first
at the water. The old rat thereupon immediately made a leap
like a kangaroo, and was at the edge of the dish in advance
of the foremost of her litter. Then ensued a most remarkable
occurrence. The mother rat raised herself on her haunches and
bit and scratched her offspring so severely, whenever they
attempted to reach the water, that they all finally scudded
away, evidently very much astonished and also frightened at
the strange and unaccountable behavior of their mother. I was
as much astonished as they, and waited with renewed interest
the outcome of this remarkable performance. When the little
ones were at a safe distance, the reason for her extraordinary
behavior began to be revealed at once in the intelligent actions
of the old mother rat. She first wet her whiskers in the
water, looked suspiciously about her, then very cautiously and
carefully took a dainty little sip of the liquid. She tasted
it as tentatively and critically as a professional tea-taster,
and when she was satisfied that it contained no poisonous or
other deleterious matter, she gave a couple of squeaks, which
quickly brought her young and thirsty brood to her side, and all
fearlessly drank to their fill. Now, this old mother rat was
experienced, had evidently learned her lesson in that school
thoroughly, and so she would not allow her young and untaught
litter to taste water which might have contained rat-poison, or
what not, until she had satisfied herself that the liquid was
harmless. As I witnessed this little scene in lowly animal life
the thought would keep coming, does not this look very like
reason?--F. CROLL BAUM, _American Naturalist_.
(2621)
=Reasoning Successful=--See TACT.