520 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



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 ani- 

 mal 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 interest- 

 ing, 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 observa- 

 tions under artificial or experimental conditions — that is, by adapt- 

 ing conditions to the needs of the experiment, instead of trying 

 to adapt one's self to natural conditions. The account which fol- 

 lows presents, as an example of this kind of work, observations on 

 habit formation in the common 'speckled turtle' (Chelopus gut- 

 iaius). 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 Populae Science 

 Monthly 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 



*' Animal Intelligence, an Experimental Study.' 



