52 CHARLES W. HARGITT 



of its normal behavior, either physical or psychical? Is it 

 within the range of the calculus of probability that conclusions 

 drawn from observations made upon an animal in the shallow 

 confines of a finger-bowl, but whose habitat has been the open 

 sea, are wholly trustworthy? It is no part of my purpose 

 to discredit the laboratory or laboratory appliances as related 

 to such investigations. They are indispensable. But at the 

 same time let it be recognized that they are at best but arti- 

 ficial makeshifts whose values, unless checked up by constant 

 appeal to nature, must be taken at something of discount. 

 This must be especially the case with higher organisms. Some 

 of these may, of course, be readily domesticated, or made 

 more or less at home in aquaria or vivaria ; but not a few abso- 

 lutely fret their lives out, are never at ease, and probably never 

 give expression to a natural reaction under such conditions. 

 It seems to the writer that until one has been able to place his 

 specimens under conditions approximating the natural, or has 

 at least brought them to a state of semi-domestication, where 

 in food-taking, evidence of health, etc., they are at ease, he 

 has small right to dogmatize as to conclusions, or presume 

 to make such conclusions the basis of so-called laws of behavior. 

 Not a little of recent investigation along the lines of behavior 

 has been vitiated at just this point, and must be repeated to be 

 made trustworthy. The amazing mass of contradictory results 

 which has loaded the literature of recent years is attributable 

 to some extent to this misfortune. 



In the following account the above precautions have been 

 in constant mind, though owing to the peculiar habitats of 

 these animals it has been attended with peculiar difficulties. 

 In many cases it has been quite necessary to subject my speci- 

 mens to laboratory conditions; but even then care was taken 

 to simulate as far as practicable a natural environment. In 

 certain cases this was done by enclosing a shrub by a fine 

 meshed net, and thus leaving it almost exactly as if at home; 

 and in all cases much attention was devoted to having speci- 

 mens provided with leaves, moisture, etc., and with a supply 

 of insect food, which afforded an approximation to natural 

 surroundings. But even so, it is freely admitted that at best 

 they are not wholly at ease; and behavior must not be too 

 dogmatically interpreted. 



