Page:American Journal of Psychology Volume 21.djvu/47

Rh learn rapidly; that is, the results for a time at least do not indicate it because of her indirect method. This method shows that she had no comprehension of the relations involved between parts of the box. The Junco probably forgot very little during the interval of half a month. It simply required a few trials to overcome the effects of the changed conditions. The effect of changed conditions is seen in the behavior of the White-throated Sparrow on the transfer of the food-pan in the strange cage.

Tests with the Food-box on a Field Sparrow, a Junco and the male English Sparrow of the previous series after the Whitethroated Sparrow and Song Sparrow had been Removed.

These tests are open to the same disturbances which affected the last series. This cage was small, near the door into the building which opens into all the cages and nearest to the rear entrance of the main building. It follows that there were many disturbances.

It is to be noted that the Junco, the same as figured in series D and E, opened the door but three times during this series. The Field Sparrow seemed to get hungrier than the others. This and its greater tameness may explain why it was the bird with which we must deal in the present series.

In the 5th test the little Field Sparrow used a method similar to that used by many of the English Sparrows. This was to fly out from the upper front edge of the box, turn, and alight ou one of the higher strings. Often alighting on the string did not open the door, but when she started to fly away the additional jerk she gave the string was sufficient to lift the latch. Frequently, however, this did not open the door. Very early she formed the habit of jerking the string by many flaps of the wings.

Her slight weight is the one chief cause of the fact that the times remain long and the efforts many. In general she learned as the others. As with many of my birds, though perhaps to a greater degree, she illustrates that fixity of the order of movements which they follow in the process of doing the thing learned. Her order was to fly first to a branch at the top of the cage, then to the water faucet, thence to the left end on top of the box, then to the right corner and thence off on the strings. Her conformity to this order was not without exceptions, but it was certainly striking.