EXPERIMENTS ON THE RABBIT 155 



which did not at once yield. These tests with red and black 

 had been preceded by seventy experiments with red and grey 

 number 1 5 , in which Meshach had made only eight errors, reacting 

 promptly and readily. While there were other cases where the 

 rabbits took to reacting reluctantly and irregularly, Meshach 

 was the only one who once and for all forsook the habit of open- 

 ing doors. 



Polly, the rabbit tested alone in the fall of 191 1, had certain 

 tricks of behavior which distinguished her. She used her fore 

 paws much more than the other rabbits, and if a hand was held 

 out to her would rush at it, grunting, with her mouth open, and 

 paw it violently with her fore paws. She had perhaps been teased 

 before she came into our possession by having food held out to 

 her and withdrawn. She had much less tendency to gnaw 

 objects than the other rabbits had. 



Certain peculiarities of behavior were common to all the 

 individuals tested. They all expressed irritation by stamping 

 with the hind legs, and when much excited, by a shrill grunting, 

 not very loud, however. The first time we heard this sound 

 it was made by Dark Nose when pursued by her mate. The 

 latter would sometimes make it when he was 'cornered' after he 

 had been running at liberty: sometimes also when he was put 

 down in front of the experiment box after he had attempted 

 to run away. We never heard the rabbits make any sounds 

 to each other, with the exception of Dark Nose's grunts when 

 running away from her mate. There was never the slightest 

 symptom of hostile behavior on the part of the young rabbits 

 to one another: they showed no resentment whatever when 

 their food was stolen from them. The father was never allowed 

 to come near the young rabbits. Expressions of irritation 

 seemed to have no social significance; they w r ere made 

 rather at situations than at other animals. In Dark Nose 

 especially, whose training with the boxes was longest continued, 

 we noted a comical shaking of the ears when she made a mistake. 

 This movement was made occasionally by all the rabbits when 

 they were irritated, as for instance when we were trying to catch 

 them. Very likely its significance as a serviceable associated 

 habit is that it frees the long ears from anything that may be 

 caught upon them. The rabbits occasionally bit our fingers 

 gently when we were holding them ; we never saw them bite 



