16 L. W. SACKETT 



Food was handed to the animal in small pieces from the ex- 

 perimenter's right hand, care being taken to place it always in 

 the same manner, as nearly as possible, directly before the 

 animal's nose. Another precaution was taken .to expose food 

 equally before both eyes so as to neutralize any tendency to 

 monocular vision which might predispose the porcupine to fol- 

 low sight in one eye with the hand on the same side. The results 

 of the first ii days' experiments are shown in table I. These 

 data were recorded in detail, but, as the individual records 

 show little more than the totals for several days, details are 

 omitted. It is sufficienl to say that the animal's changes from 

 right hand to left hand and back again were made promiscu- 

 ously throughout the tests, but were grouped more towards the 

 beginnings of the first feeding periods. By this means the 

 over-night lapse of the habit was observable, but does not 

 appear in the table. 



1st day 



2nd " 



3rd " 



4th " 



5th " 



6th " 



7th " 



8th " 



9th " 



10th " 



11th " 



Total 2562 114 



As is clearly evident, the table is a reliable measure of the 

 rate of progress in the taming of the animal. Even more clearly 

 do the tabulated data show a tendency of the porcupine to 

 become right handed. After the fifth day the only responses 

 with the left hand came in isolated cases in which the animal 

 failed to secure food with the right hand, or when he dropped 

 the food before getting it into his mouth. This might appear 

 at first to be a determination on his part to try with the other 

 if he failed with the first hand. His voracious appetite and his 

 impatience when the feeding rhythm was interrupted would 

 justify the supposition that any mentality of which he was 



