554 THE HIGHER ANTHROPOIDS 



in any spirit of ctucIix, l)ut more in tiic sheer cxeitement of i:)ursuit and 

 capture. 



Professor Kcililer also had oj^portunitx to observe the rai:)i(hty with 

 whieli the ehinipanzees resort to the use of stieks whiMi they eneounter a new- 

 object for the hrst time in their li\es. This was especially apparent upon their 

 introduction to the electrical cmrent. In the experiment, one pole of an 

 induction coil was fastened to a wire l)asket Idled with fruit and this sus- 

 pended from the roof, while the other pole was connected with the wire 

 netting u|)on the (ground. In a very short time the chimpanzees manifested 

 a great number and \ariety of entirely human reactions and expressive 

 movements in res])onse to this new condition. \\ hen contact was made by 

 one of the great apes w ith the basket and the w ire netting at the same time, 

 there followed an immediate bounding back as the lirst shock was reeened. 

 The cry of suri:)rise or dismay, the eautious second attemjjt, the constant 

 jerking backward before there was an\ possibilit\ of the current passing 

 through the bod\ , tiie violent shaking of the hand in the air after receiving a 

 shock, all of these were so exactly similar to the bt'ha\ior of a human Ix'ing 

 who has inacK t'rtcntly touched a hot stove, as to K'axc no doubt as to the 

 resemblances in bchaxioral reactions under corresponding cncumstances. 

 Most of the reactions of the chim|)anzees might easily lind counterparts in 

 the human being, (|ulte as marked in one as m tlu' other. It seemed almost 

 astonishing to observe in these apes the number and variety ol automatic 

 responses to unexpected and e\en painful stimuli, which may be uniNersallN' 

 observc'd in man as well. Such responses must haxc taken their origin a long 

 way back in the dark ages wlun the anthropoid and the human kind were 

 beginning to emerge Irom some common ancestral stock. 



In the further manipulat ion of obiects the chimpanzees showed a tenden- 

 cy to develop additional habits. Tlu'N did not e\xMituall\ eonlinc themselves to 

 thrusting and hitting w ith sticks alone, but began to throw them. In moments 



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