The Mental Life of the Monkeys 193 



associations and associations in a greater variety than do the 

 other mammals. The improved rate assists, but another 

 cause of this greater number of associations is the general 

 physical activity of the monkeys, their constant movements 

 of the hands, their instinctive curiosity or tendency to fool 

 with all sorts of objects, to enjoy having sense-impressions, 

 to form associations because of the resulting sound or sight. 

 These mental characteristics are of a high degree of impor- 

 tance from the comparative point of view, but they cannot 

 be used to prove that the monkeys have free ideas, for a 

 large number of associations may be acquired after the 

 purely animal fashion. 



What is of more importance is the actual behavior of the 

 animals in connection with the boxes. First of all, as has 

 been stated, all the monkey's movements are more definite, 

 he seems not merely to pull, but to pull at, not merely to poke, 

 but to push at. He seems, even in his general random play, 

 to go here and there, pick up this, examine the other, etc., 

 more from having the idea strike him than from feeling like 

 doing it. He seems more like a man at the breakfast table 

 than like a man in a fight. Still this appearance may be 

 quite specious, and I think it is likely to lead us to read 

 ideational life into his behavior if we are not cautious. 

 It may be simply general activity of the same sort as the 

 narrower activities of the cat or dog. 



In the second place the monkeys often make special 

 movements with a directness which reminds one unavoid- 

 ably of human actions guided by ideas. For instance, No. i 

 escaped from his cage one day and went directly across the 

 room to a table where lay a half of a banana which was in a 

 very inconspicuous place. It seemed as if he had observed 

 the banana and acted with the idea of its position fully in 

 mind. Again, on failing to pull a hook out, No. i im- 

 o 



