Page:American Journal of Psychology Volume 21.djvu/56

46

Some of the extremely long times early in this series may also be due to the same fact that had to be kept in mind with the Crows. The Jays also store away their over-supply of food and they may not have been as hungry as one would infer from the period of time since they were last fed.

Knowing the use which the Blue Jay makes of his beak in the opening of nuts, etc., it was not surprising that he should use the same method as the Redheaded Woodpecker and the Crows were found to do in such a vigorous and persistent manner.

The female Jay showed very little tendency to imitate. She opened the door but once and this in the 13th test, though my notes several times make record of the fact that she might have done so if opportunity were all that was needed. It should be said, however, that during the first tests she really had little opportunity. The male was certainly a tyrant in this family. The female, as a rule, never entered the box to eat until the male had satisfied his hunger and left. Not being allowed near the box at the start, she formed the habit of staying away, and this is directly inimical to imitation in later trials. She followed him to the box often, however, as indeed all the birds have done with each other.

In the 43rd trial the male for some reason left the box after taking only a few bits of food. He soon returned and, with the door already open, pulled the string three times. He then went to the top of the box, but did the same thing twice more on his next approach. In the 112th trial he again repeated the same action under exactly similar conditions five times. He did, therefore, what the other birds, most of them, have been seen to do.

By the 60th trial this Jay has probably learned to open this box as readily and easily as he ever will. The table, therefore, omits the results of tests 44 to 58 and 60 to 109 inclusive.

For the 110th test the strings were transferred to the left of the door. The Jay struck twice on place i, then hopped up on the wire at the same place, then twice on the strings in