ly favored by nature in these
animals,--indeed, auditory associations are far less common than is
generally supposed.[AE] Horses compare very unfavorably with dogs in
this respect. The latter easily learn to react with a high degree of
precision to auditory signs,--as I learned from a series of experiments
which I was enabled to perform. The Osten horse, therefore, does not
stand alone among his kind in his inferior auditory equipment, as one
might be tempted to believe at first blush.

[Footnote AE: All the authors who have given practical suggestions
for the training of horses, whether free or with lunging reins, have
great faith in the efficacy of calls, but usually recommend a
mingling of calls and movements in the way of signs, (thus
Loiset,[71] Baucher,[72] von Arnim[73]). It therefore cannot be
stated just in how far the calls really effect anything. In other
cases I am inclined to doubt outright the influence which is
ascribed to the auditory signs. Meehan[74] gives an account of a
horse that was exhibited in London in the early 90's of the last
century. Pawing with his hoof, this horse apparently was able to
count and answer questions in arithmetic, and among other
accomplishments he was supposed also to be able to understand
something of language. In reality, however, he merely responded to
cues which were disclosed to the reporter by the trainer. In pawing,
the horse was guided by movements of the trainer, and in nodding or
shaking the head he reputedly got his cue from the inflections of
the man's voice. Is it not probable that in this latter case it was
the movements which accompanied speech that were alone effective in
inducing the nod or the shake of the head, so that the exhibiter was
deceiving not merely the public, but also himself? Perhaps we may
also doubt the exposition made by the well-known hippologist,
Colonel Spohr.[75] He tells us that it is easy to train horses to
raise the left foot or the right foot in response to the commands
"Left--foot!" or "Right--foot!" and that it will be the fore foot
when one is standing in front of the horse, and the hind foot if one
stands near the rear. It cannot be so very difficult, he thinks,
even to get the horse to understand the commands "Left (or
right)--fore foot!" and "Left (or right)--hind foot!"--and all
without any other aids but the spok