EVIDENCES OF INSIGHT 51 



in the infrahuman primates is its specialization, selective- 

 ness and restriction. In order to be safe I must at once par- 

 ticularize and limit my statements to the pair of young chim- 

 panzees which I have observed. Many human acts are 

 intently watched and eagerly imitated by the chimpanzees. 

 Panzee, it is true, imitated only rarely even the acts of Chim, 

 but he always was ready to try things which he saw his human 

 companions do. Scrubbing and sweeping seem to have 

 peculiar fascination for him and after seeing a person use 

 cloth, scrubbing brush or broom he would try to use them. 

 Doubtless the use of stick, hammer, nails, saw, etc., in his 

 presence would stimulate imitative effort. He has been 

 tried many times with a ball and has slight tendency to imi- 

 tate throwing or rolling it although he is usually ready to try 

 to catch it as it comes toward him. 



Among the most amusing and perhaps also significant 

 instances of imitation are the following. 



A boy of twelve who was playing with Chim in the New 

 Hampshire pasture one day began to spit to see whether Chim 

 would imitate him. Chim watched with keen interest and 

 perfect attention. Almost immediately he tried to spit. 

 His initial efforts were amusing if not effective. The follow- 

 ing day in the observation room he was seen off in a corner 

 practising spitting, having achieved in the meantime a fair 

 degree of proficiency. As this performance was promptly 

 discouraged the story stops here. 



Panzee after being bitten slightly in the finger by Chim 

 during one of their rather rough games was seen shortly 

 thereafter trying to wrap a bit of cloth about the wounded 

 member. Although this incident is described under imita- 

 tion I cannot be positive that it was imitatively performed. 



