Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 58.djvu/528

520 activity the basis of the habit. Finally, however, the man will be able to meet the situation—water, a distant shore, and a desire to be on the shore—as the duck does—that is, habitually.

Since habits make an animal what it is in great part, the study of their formation, of the manner and rapidity of their growth, and of their permanence must be of practical as well as of scientific importance. We are rapidly realizing, as the increasing interest in animal psychology clearly indicates, that the mental life of all animal types must be understood before we can attain to a satisfactory science of psychology or give a history of the evolution of mind. To watch the progress of a habit's growth is exceedingly interesting, whether the subject be a man or one of the lower animals. Ordinarily the chief difficulties in the way of such a study are the great length of time and the constancy of observation necessary. But these obstacles may readily be avoided by making observations under artificial or experimental conditions—that is, by adapting conditions to the needs of the experiment, instead of trying to adapt one's self to natural conditions. The account which follows presents, as an example of this kind of work, observations on habit formation in the common 'speckled turtle' (Chelopus gutiaius). It has been my aim to give a brief account of the way in which a particular turtle profited by experience.

The work was undertaken to determine to what extent and with what rapidity turtles can learn; to measure as accurately as might be their intelligence. Reptiles are usually considered sluggish and unintelligent creatures, and there can be no question about the general truth of this opinion. Turtles certainly appear to be very stupid—so much so, indeed, that one would not expect much in the way of intelligent actions. Just how stupid, or better perhaps, just how intelligent they are, we shall be better able to judge after studying the habits of the animals more carefully, and collecting more evidence like the following:

The finding of the way through a labyrinth to a nest was chosen as the habit to be studied. The motives employed to get the subject to try to find its way to the nest were: first, the desire to hide in some dark, secluded place; secondly, the impulse to escape from confinement; and lastly, the desire to get to a place of comfort. Dr. Thorndike, in studying the associative processes of cats and dogs (of which a brief account appeared in the for August, 1899), used hunger as the chief motive for escape. This is unsatisfactory in the case of turtles, because they frequently do not eat well in confinement, and at best their feeding or