In Daniels' "Rural Sports," will be found an interesting account of a
sow having been taught to find and point game of various kinds, and
often having been known to stand on partridges at a distance of forty
yards, which is more than can reasonably be expected of every first-rate
dog. She was not only broke to find and stand game, but hunted with the
dogs, and backed successfully when on a point. This extraordinary animal
evinced great aptness for learning, and afterwards great enthusiasm in
the sport; showing symptoms of pleasure at the sight of a gun, or when
called upon to accompany a party to the field. Her hunting was not
confined to any particular game, but stood equally well on partridges,
pheasants, snipes, rabbits, &c. (See Blaine, part vii, chap, iii, page
792.)
Most of animals instinctively employ the organ of scent to seek out
food, or avert personal danger, in preference to that of sight; but some
depend more upon the latter than the former, either from instinct or the
force of education.
For instance, the greyhound, though equally gifted with the sense of
smell, as that of sight, has been taught to depend upon the one organ to
the entire exclusion of the other, which is quite the reverse of the
setter and pointer; but the wonderful speed of these dogs renders it
quite unnecessary that he should employ the olfactory nerves, as no
animal, however swift, can hope to escape from him in a fair race, when
once near enough to be seen; though there are some that may elude his
grasp by a "'ruse de guerre'" when too hardly pressed. ('Extracted from
our essay in No. 1, vol. xvi, of the "Spirit of the Times.'")--L.]
INTELLIGENCE
We find little mention of insanity in the domesticated animals in any of
our modern authors, whether treating on agriculture, horsemanship, or
veterinary medicine, and yet there are some singular and very
interesting cases of aberration of intellect. The inferior animals are,
to a certain extent, endowed with the same faculties as ourselves. They
are even susceptible of the same moral qualities. Hatred, love, fear,
hope, joy, distress, courage, timidity, jealousy, and many varied
passions influence and agitate them, as they do the human being. The dog
is an illustration of this---the most susceptible to every
impression--approaching the nearest to man in his instincts, and in many
actions that surprise the philosopher, who justly appreciates it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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