UNKNOWN

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3165, 20 August 1881, Page 4

UNKNOWN

he following instance of animal intelligence is sent to Nature by Dr John Rae F.R.vS., who statis that the Mr William im-lair men ioned is respectable and trustworthy. The anecdote is taken from the Orkney Herald on May 11 :—"A well authenticated and extraordinary case of tbe ►agacity of the Shetland pony has just come under our not : "o. A year or two ago Mr William Sinclair, pupil teacher, Holm, imported one of these little animals from Shetland on which to ride to and from school, his residence being at a considerable distance from the school buildings. Up to that time the animal had been unshod, but some time afterwards Mr Sinclair had it shod by Mr Pratt, the parish blacksmith. The other day Mr Pratt, whose smithy is a long distance from Mr Sinclair's house, saw the pony, without halter or anything upon it, walking up to where he was working. Thinking the animal had strayed from home, he drove it off, throwing stones after the beast to make it run homewards. This bad the desired effect for a Bhort time ; but Mr Pratt had only got fairly at work once more in the smithy when the pony's head again made its appearence at the door. On proceeding a second time outside to drive the pony »wav, Mr Pratt, with a blacksne'th's instinct, took a look at the pony's f el wbi'ii he observed that one of its shoes luul been lost. IFuving made a shoe he put it on, and then waited to see what the animal would do. Eor a moment it looked at. the blacksmith as if asking whether he was done, then pawed once or twice to see if the newly-shod foot was oomfortable, and finally gave a pleased neigh, erected its head, and started homewards at a brisk trot. The owner was also exceedingly surprised to find the animal at home completely shod the same evening, and it was only on calling at the smithy some days afterwards that he learned the full extent of his pony's sagacity."