VI 



Instinct and Intelligence in Chicks and 

 Ducklings. 



IN my "Animal Life and Intelligence " I quoted some of Spalding's 

 statements as to the intelligence of young birds. I then 

 received a letter from my friend, Mr. T. Mann Jones, informing me 

 of observations of his own which did not accord with those which I 

 quoted, and expressing some scepticism as to the existence of what 

 he termed " the philosopher's chick." I therefore determined to observe 

 for myself, and the following paper contains some account of my 

 observations, which should be compared with those of Douglas 

 Spalding in Macmillan's Magazine for February, 1893, ^^'^ those of 

 Professor Eimer in his "Organic Evolution" (English Translation, 

 p. 245). I desire to express my acknowledgments to Mr. Mann 

 Jones for his suggestions and criticisms. 



The eggs were incubated under the hen until about the third day 

 before hatching, when they were transferred to an incubator. After 

 hatching the young birds were left in the drawer of the incubator 

 for from twelve to twenty hours. They were then kept under 

 observation in a small pen surrounded with wire netting in my study. 

 There was thus no iniluence of adult birds. I was their only foster- 

 mother. I shall describe the observations under the head of the day 

 of chick or duck life — first day, second day, and so on — dating from 

 their removal from the incubator drawer. 



First Day. — Chicks. — On opening the drawer of the incubator 

 the newly-hatched birds are often seen to huddle together and to 

 try and burrow under each other. Experiments on the co-ordination 

 for pecking show that any small conspicuous object is struck at. The 

 aim was seldom quite correct, the tendency being apparently to strike 

 somewhat short. Moving the object a little with a long steel pin 

 caused it more readily to catch their eye. It was generally seized at 

 the third or fourth stroke, but a little awkwardly, and was not always 

 successfully swallowed. Flies, from which a portion of their wings 

 had been removed, were followed as they ran, and were seized at 

 from about the seventh to the twelfth stroke. The chicks pecked 

 persistently at their own and each other's toes and at the bright 

 bead-like eyes of their yellow neighbours, also at excrement, shaking 

 their heads and wiping their bills. 



