. Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution; Smithsonian Institution. Archives; Discoveries in science. 548 STUDIES Oisr THE MENTAL LIFE OF ANIMALS. of food for some time—twenty-four hours, for example—the animal which was to be the subject of the experiment; then lie shut it in a cage having- a grating front; near by, on the outside, food for the animal was placed. The door of the cage, set into the grating, was moyed by a mechanism which the animal had to operate in order to get out; once free, he could satisfy his hunger. In general, the a
. Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution; Smithsonian Institution. Archives; Discoveries in science. 548 STUDIES Oisr THE MENTAL LIFE OF ANIMALS. of food for some time—twenty-four hours, for example—the animal which was to be the subject of the experiment; then lie shut it in a cage having- a grating front; near by, on the outside, food for the animal was placed. The door of the cage, set into the grating, was moyed by a mechanism which the animal had to operate in order to get out; once free, he could satisfy his hunger. In general, the animal was put into the box through a hole either in the back oi* the top. This hole was then covered over by a board. The door in th(> various cages could be opened either by a latch, a button, In' pulling a cord, or by stepping on a platform. Sometimes it was fastened b}- two or three means, which had to l)e operated l)y the animal ])efore its release was effected. When our author used chickens he sometimes modified his pi'ocedure. In place of having to open a door, the sul)ject was placed in a small inclosure and had to surmount successively a certain luunber of obstacles—walk up steps, for example—to find its food and companions. The basis of the principle remains the same; the ani- mal has, in all cases, to form an associa- tion between the representation of the interior of the box presented by his senses and the series of movements which release it, hunger being the Fi<;. 1.—General model of a box (Box K). eX('itant. After the animal was shut up, its conduct was carefully observed. A dou})le precaution was taken: first, to note if the subject of the experiment had or had not previously been subjected to the same or some similar experience; finally, which was quite easy with the arrangements adopted, to })e quite sure that the animal was free from any influence of the observer; the ''personal equation" connected with the latter being entirely eliminated
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