BEHAVIOUR 



185 



Figure loi. Dolphins feeding out of the hand of a diver. Photograph: D. H. Brown, 



Marineland, California. 



Another reason why dolphins can be trained so quickly is their natural 

 playfulness. Not only do they chase one another and other animals in the 

 aquarium, but they also like to throw dead fish and balls into the air, and 

 to catch them as they come down. They can keep this game up for a 

 long time, and they also like to play with all sorts of objects floating on the 

 water (Fig. 102). Thus, some dolphins and Pilot Whales were seen to 

 amuse themselves for more than an hour with a feather of one of the 

 pelicans which shared their tank (Fig. 103). They will fetch stones and 

 other objects for you, and even bring up stones from the bottom of the 

 tank to spit them with great accuracy at the bystanders. One of them is 

 reported to have taken an instant dislike to Roman Catholic priests, 

 spitting stones at them the moment they approached. Other dolphins 

 made up for this lack of manners by great courtesy and consideration, one 

 of them returning a camera a girl had dropped. A photograph of this act 

 appeared in Life magazine of March 1959, together with pictures of 

 dolphins playing basketball, stealing handkerchiefs ovit of visitors' 

 pockets, and many other tricks. Young animals are naturally much more 



