The Minds and Manners of Wild Animals: A Book of Personal ObservationsHornaday, William T. (William Temple)
Science
The Minds and Manners of Wild Animals: A Book of Personal Observations
Hornaday, William T. (William Temple)
Animal behavior
"Since that day I have seen Peter in five public performances,
have tested him at my psychological clinic and privately on three
occasions. I now believe that in a very real sense the animal is
himself giving the stage performance. He knows what he is doing,
he delights in it, he varies it from time to time, he understands
the succession of tricks which are being called for, he is guided
by word of mouth without any signal open or concealed, and the
function of his trainer is exercised mainly to steady and control.
"I am prepared to accept the statement of his trainers, Mr. and
Mrs. McArdle, that Peter's proficiency is not so much the result
of training as of downright self-education."
Peter was put through many of the tests which Dr. Witmer uses for
the study of backward children. He performed many of these tests
in a very satisfactory manner. He was able to string beads the
first time he tried it. He put pegs in the ordinary kindergarten
pegging board. He opened and closed a very difficult lock. He used
hammer and screw driver, and distinguished without any mistake
between nails and screws. A peculiar kind of hammer was given to
him in order to fool him, but Peter was not fooled. He felt both
ends of the hammer and used the flat end instead of the round end.
Showing his initiative during the tests, Peter got away from those
who were watching him and darted for a washstand, quickly turned
the faucet and put his mouth to the spigot and secured a drink
before he was snatched away by his trainers. He understood
language and followed instructions without signs. He was able to
say "mamma," and Doctor Witmer taught him in five minutes to give
the sound of "p." The most remarkable performance was making the
letter "w" on the blackboard, in which he imitated Doctor Witmer's
movements exactly, and reproduced a fair copy of the letter.
The last four paragraphs reproduced above have been copied from an
article which appeared in the Philadelphia _Public Ledger_ on
December 17, 1909.
Dr. Witmer declares that the study of this ape's mind is a subject
fit, not for the animal psychologist, but for the child
psychologist.
Suzette's Failure in Maternal Instinct. As a closing contribution
to our observations on the chimpanzee, I must record a tragic
failure in maternal instinct, as well as in general intelligence,
in a chimpanzee.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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