Abstract
I SEND an account of a singular act of animal intelligence which may not be uninteresting to the readers of NATURE. A lady, a friend of mine, was at one time matron of a hospital for poor women and children which was maintained by subscription. One of the inmates was a blind girl who was there not as a patient, but temporally till a home could be found for her. She had learned to feed herself, and at meal times a tray containing her dinner was placed on her knees as she sat in a comfortable chair for her special convenience in feeding herself. One day while she was eating, the pet cat of the establishment placed herself before the girl and looked long and earnestly at her, so earnestly that the matron, fearing the animal meditated some mischief to the girl, took her out of the room. Again the next next day, at the same hour, the cat entered the room, but this time walked quietly to the girl's side, reared herself on her hind legs, and noiselessly, stealthily reached out her paw to the plate, selected and seized a morsel that pleased her, and, silently as she came, departed to enjoy her stolen meal. The girl never noticed her loss, and when told of it by her companions laughed very heartily.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
P., K. Animal Reasoning. Nature 23, 219 (1881). https://doi.org/10.1038/023219b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/023219b0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.