[To TEE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR, — 'Scrub,' a
wire-haired Devonshire terrier whose acquaintance I have made while staying with his mis- tress, my daughter, has shown instances of intelligence which I think may interest those among your readers who, like myself, feel some disappointment this week that there is no dog-story in the Spe, talon In the sitting-room there is a, screen on which photographs are loosely secured by ribands; amongst them is one, and one only, of a dog—' Pickles '— who is very like 'Scrub' himself. One day 'Scrub' pulled several of the photographs out of the screen, but was inter- rupted before he could get at that of his rival,—if indeed he intended to do so. He was severely chastised, but not many days after he again attacked the screen, and though many photographs were found littered about the floor, the only one he had gnawed and torn was that of 'Pickles.' He was dis- covered before he had completely destroyed the photograph, but never again has he touched the screen. This may be only a coincidence, but what has happened more recently must be, I think, admitted as evidence of reasoning power. My daughter has a favourite mare, who refuses sugar or bread, but is wild about carrots. A little while ago she rode some miles, accompanied by Scrub,' to call on a clerical uncle in Cornwall, who went with her to see 'Trilby 'made comfortable in his stable. Finding that the mare would not eat anything but carrots in a strange stable, he much regretted that there were none to offer her, and suggested that they should try if she would eat mangold-wurzel. As he spoke 'Scrub' entered with a carrot in his mouth, which he straightway carried into the mare's stall and placed before her. Whether it be his example, or a jealous desire to share his mistress's favours that now makes him eat carrots himself, we cannot decide, but his liking for them in no way detracts from the power of reason which inspired his kind thought for the mare.—I am, Sir, Fz.c.,
P. C.
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