362 Journal of Comparative Xeurology and Psychology. 



152-207) go to show that animals do learn b\' this perception of 

 what the experimenter does, and its results. In the same sec- 

 tion (pp. 207-5), l''^ finally concludes that there is no natural 

 tendency to learn by perception; still less by "reflectixe,'" as dis- 

 tinct from "simple" imitation. From this I gather that, while 

 HoBHOUSE assumes that there is no ;/<?/'//;vr/ tendency to imitate, 

 still this mental act may be acquired in much the same ua\' 

 that habits of attention may be acquired by animals (p. 204). 

 When on p. 259 he discusses "Articulate Ideas." he mentions a 

 case of reflecti\"e imitation in the Rhesus nionke\'. He ex^en 

 puts it more strongh' : "To transfer the act and apply it to 

 himself and his own needs, was, at low est. a strong case of re- 

 flective 'imitation.' But the use of the term imitation in this con- 

 nection is really misleading. At most m\- act served as a hint." 



Coming finally to Porter's' e.xcellent piece of work on the 

 Ps)xhology of the English Spariow. we find this problem still 

 untouched: "There is some proof of abilit\' to profit by tlie 

 experience of others, or of imitation. Ho\\e\er, before an)* 

 description of the real nature of this imitation can be given, ad- 

 ditional and varied experiments are needed " 



This short and incomplete survey of the field serves to show 

 what inadequate experimental treatment this most important 

 subject has had. That the subject is important, is evidenced 

 by the fact that every in\'estigator, at the end of the discussion 

 of his results, mentions imitation. Vet few e.xperiments have 

 been especially designed to bring out the positive Aicts — if such 

 there be. And no sane reader would den\' utterly, on the basis 

 of the few records we hax'e, that animals can learn b\' imitation. 



Most of us ha\'e been too bus\\ either in ascribing habit 

 formations to lower and lower orders of animals, or in describ- 

 ing f/ie mental processes in general in the higher animals, to give 

 enough time and thought to a complete study of any one of the 

 more typical mental acts. We are not criticizing any of the 



' J.VME> I'. Pi'KTEK. .\ rrcliniinary Study of tlic I'-yLli.>l(jgy of tlic Englisli 

 Sparrow. Armncan /ouriia/ of Psychology. \'ol. X\ . p. ^45. 



