IOWA ACADEMY OP SCIENCES. 43 



Here we have a clear case of "Heads I win, tails you lose." 

 In the first experiment the inexperienced chick did not go 

 under the screen, and in the second it did go under. It would 

 have been manifestly impossible for that chick to give evidence 

 of imitation. 



Dr. Thorndyke admits that he can not insist upon these 

 experiments as evidence against imitation. 



Similar experiments with cats usually gave negative results. 

 Every case in which imitation appeared to be present is 

 explained away, ingeniously it is true, but not by any means in 

 a manner convincing to the unbiased reader. 



Dogs were experimented with, the results being always 

 negative. 



Dr. Thorndyke sums up the evidence regarding imitation as 

 follows: "It seems sure from these experiments that the 

 animals were unable to form an association leading to an act 

 from having seen another animal or animals perform the act 

 in a certain situation. " "Not only do animals not have asso- 

 ciations accompanied, more or less permeated and altered, by 

 inference and judgment; they do not have associations of the 

 sort which may be acquired from other animals by imitation." 

 " But in any case the burden of proof would now seem to rest 

 upon the adherents of imitation." (Page 62.) 



Now it so happens that the present wriier is in possession 

 of such proof, and it is perfectly logical to claim that one posi- 

 tive case of imitation will justly outweigh any number of 

 experiments with purely negative results. It happens, more- 

 over, that the animal observed was a kitten. 



This kitten was as wild as any that lives in the forest, and 

 had the misfortune to fall into the brick flue through w^hich 

 cold air reaches the furnace in my house. The flue is about 

 sevea feet high, three feet wide and eighteea inches deep. 

 From the botton a double series of large tiles leads to a cham- 

 ber beneath the furnace, in which there was at that time no 

 fire. 



Various attempts to capture the kitten resulted in its dart- 

 ing into the tiles. Efforts were made to prevent this by drop- 

 ping a wire window screen in front of the openings to the tiles. 

 These efforts failing, the screea was left leaning against the 

 opposite wall of the flue. The mother of the kitten was 

 then placed in the flue in the hope that slie would carry her 

 offspring, or induce it to follow her, through the tiles and out of 



