OBSERVATIONS ON DOVES LEARNING TO DRINK 277 



out of dish, and then appears as if not knowing what to do. 

 After a minute or two, turning round, it goes to dish and with 

 little hesitation drinks. Its success now seems due partly to 

 accident, partly to abatement of its excitement. 



. 38th day. — 9 A. M. I put in same dish. Dove is a little fright- 

 ened, but soon recovers, then goes straight to dish and drinks 

 Apparently it finds the water more easily by daylight and when 

 wide awake than by lamp light and when not so wide awake. 

 But even now, it drinks from extreme edge of water, at one end, 

 as if its aim were at the dish, not the water. 



3gth day. — This forenoon I put water in cage in a dish of 

 different shape from the customary one, and of glass, whereas 

 the former one was of china. The dove came and drank from 

 it almost immediately. However, I judge that this was chiefly 

 because my hand putting the dish in gave it the cue. To test 

 this, in the afternoon, I put in a tin cup full of water, contriving 

 to keep the bird's attention elsewhere while I put it in. Result: 

 The bird examined the tin cup a good deal, just as it would any 

 strange object, but made no attempt to drink from it. Later 

 I replaced the tin cup by a low tin dish. The two were in the 

 cage altogether for an hour or more ; they presented the further 

 advantage that one was new and bright, the other tarnished, 

 dark. Yet the bird tried neither of them. Then I took out the 

 tin dish and put in the usual white dish: the bird drank from 

 it after a few seconds' examination. 



55^ day. — After twenty -five days' experience, I believe this 

 bird still does not recognize water as such. 



Whenever the dish is put in, the bird at once puts its head 

 down to drink, though it may not be near the dish ; but it comes 

 very soon to the dish and drinks readily from it. 



OTHER OBSERVATIONS 



Dove No. 46, hatched April 17, 191 1, was similarly reared 

 by hand. The history of its learning to drink, which was not 

 recorded in detail, was much like that of No. 43. 



In case of birds that have water in the cage all the time it 

 is difficult to say when the young takes it first drink. Dove 

 No. 22 was first observed to drink on the 22nd day. Such birds 

 probably learn to drink more quickly than the subjects of the 

 experiment, which saw water for only a short time each day. 



