48 TRAITS or YOUNG CHIMPANZEES 



ever, farthest from my expectation that Chim, scarcely 

 beyond his infancy, would stack boxes without suggestion or 

 tuition. 



In the box and stick test Chim failed. A long narrow box, 

 measuring approximately 5 ft. by 4 by 4 in. was fastened to the 

 floor of a large room. In the middle of this box was placed 

 a banana which could be seen through wire screened lid, but 

 which could not be reached by the animal from either end. 

 On the floor of the room some feet distant from the box lay 

 two sticks which were light enough to be used readily by the 

 little chimpanzee and each sufficiently long to be used to push 

 the banana out of the box. 



Although Chim on four different days was given from 

 fifteen to thirty minutes to work for the banana, he made no 

 attempt to use a stick to obtain it. Occasionally he would 

 pick up a stick to play with it, sometimes dragging it about 

 the room, but never did he show any sign of appreciation of 

 the stick as a possible tool or instrument to secure the 

 banana. This test was not long continued because of the 

 intention of the writer to present it subsequently when Chim 

 is somewhat more mature. It is worthy of note that the 

 young orang-utan several times referred to solved this 

 problem with relative ease, promptness and effectiveness. 



Most surprising and impressive in Chim 's behavior was the 

 continuity of attention, high degree of concentration on his 

 task, evident purposefulness of many, if not most, of his acts, 

 his systematic survey of problematic situations, his rapid 

 elimination of unsuccessful acts or methods, and his occa- 

 sional pauses for reflection. I use this term without apology, 

 even to the behaviorist, for the simple reason that if Chim 

 were a child instead of a chimpanzee we should apply the 

 term without hesitation and with assurance that it would 



