CHICKS HATCHED FROM ALCOHOLIZED EGGS 107 



third, but not on the second day; normal chicks Nos. 2, 6 and 

 10, and alcohol chicks Nos. 36, 22, 27 and 35 reacted positively- 

 through the third day; normal chicks Nos. 11, 8, 7 and 1, and 

 alcohol chicks Nos. 27, 26, 31, 28 and 24 did not react posi- 

 tively at any time. 



The apparatus and procedure employed with the third hatch- 

 ing of chicks was the same as that used with the second hatch- 

 ing but these chicks were not removed from the incubator until 

 the evening of the third day. At the end of the first day a 

 partition was placed in the incubator in such a manner that 

 the chickens hatching later would not mingle with those already 

 hatched. Only those which had hatched the first day were 

 tested. Of the six alcohol and eleven normal chicks tested, two 

 alcohol chicks reacted positively, the other fifteen chicks did 

 not react at all, wandering aimlessly about the table or stand- 

 ing still and screaming. 



There is nothing in these results or in the behavior of the 

 chicks, as they moved toward or away from the light stimulus, 

 to indicate the presence of a phototropism either positive or 

 negative. There seems to be a highly variable instinctive ten- 

 dency to react positively to a single light stimulus of very weak 

 intensity and small area. This tendency may appear for the 

 first time on the first or second day and rarely on the third 

 day. When it does appear before the third day it may not 

 persist through that day. This reaction failed to show any 

 characteristic difference between normal and alcohol chicks. 



Pecking Reaction 



The pecking reactions of the first set of chicks are not re- 

 corded here as the cloth markers which distinguished normal 

 from alcohol chicks dropped off the evening of the fourth day. 

 These chicks were not used for further experiments. 



The following method was used with the second set of chicks. 

 On the morning of the third day after hatching the chicks were 

 placed, one at a time, on a table covered with a smooth, black 

 cloth. On this cloth were scattered several bits of light colored 

 grain. The time before the first peck and the accuracy of the 

 pecking reaction was carefully noted. For the first test with 

 each chick a record was kept during the first five minutes of 

 its pecking activities. For succeeding tests the record was kept 

 for three minutes. It was found convenient to use the Breed 



