30 The Dancing Mouse 



which they are capable. I have quoted his description as an 

 illustration of the weakness which is characteristic of most 

 popular accounts of animal behavior. It proves that it is not 

 sufficient to watch and then describe. The fact is that he 

 who adequately describes the behavior of any animal watches 

 again and again under natural and experimental conditions, 

 and by prolonged and patient observation makes himself so 

 familiar with his subject that it comes to possess an individu- 

 ality as distinctive as that of his human companions. To the 

 casual observer the individuals of a strange race are almost in- 

 distinguishable. Similarly, the behavior of all the animals of a 

 particular species seems the same to all except the observer who 

 has devoted himself whole-heartedly to the study of the subject 

 and who has thus become as familiar with their life of action 

 as most of us are with that of our fellow- men; for him each 

 individual has its own unmistakable characteristics. 



I shall now describe the behavior of the dancing mouse in 

 the light of the results of the observation of scores of indi- 

 viduals for months at a time, and of a large number of ex- 

 periments. From time to time I shall refer to points in the 

 accounts of the subject previously given by Rawitz (25 p. 

 236), Cyon (9 p. 214), Alexander and Kreidl (i p. 542), 

 Zoth (31 p. 147), and Kishi (21 p. 479). 



The most striking features of the ordinary behavior of the 

 dancer are restlessness and movements in circles. The 

 true dancer seldom runs in a straight line for more than a 

 few centimeters, although, contrary to the statements of 

 Rawitz and Cyon, it is able to do so on occasion for longer 

 distances. Even before it is old enough to escape from the 

 nest it begins to move in circles and to exhibit the quick, 

 jerky head movements which are characteristic of the race. 

 At the age of three weeks it is able to dance vigorously, and 

 is incessantly active when not washing itself, eating, or sleeping. 



