When an animal looked into a mirror, it could not tell that the reflection was itself.
But it could sense certain needs, like hunger. That feeling drove it to hunt and eat. If it could not feel hunger, it would not think, like humans did, to store extra food for the winter, because many animals did not come out during winter, making hunting difficult.
People also saw dark clouds gathering and began looking for shelter from the rain. So-called preparing for a rainy day was not based solely on perception, but on imagination built upon perception.
Of course, not all animals failed to recognize themselves in mirrors. Elephants and apes, for instance, could. Nor did all animals fail to store food for winter. Squirrels, for example, hid nuts away in tree hollows, attracting hungry people to dig them out. Sometimes people dug up unexpected things, such as an Albanian farmer who found a crown that looked very valuable.
"Ah-ha, Headmistress!" Kettleburn spotted Pomona and Neville, then dragged his cautious half-leg over to them.
He wore a wooden prosthetic leg. It did not make him look quite like a pirate, but it still made movement inconvenient.
"Did you come back from the Dragon Reserve so early because you were rushing back to watch the Quidditch World Cup, Silva?" Pomona asked.
"Don't spare my feelings, Headmistress. I know my legs aren't what they used to be." Kettleburn took two little boxes from his pocket. "Here, I bought you some dragon cheese at the reserve."
"Thank you." She accepted the gifts without immediately opening them. "What did you gain from this trip?"
"It was astonishing. In fact, aside from the Dragon Reserve, I went to other places as well. The wizards there were very interesting," Kettleburn said, then began recounting what he