Cole, Intelligence of Raccoons. 243 



the averages and the number of individual cases in favor of learn- 

 ing by being put through are too widely different from those 

 against it to be ascribed to chance. The experiments from which 

 these data are taken were continued for three months. 



One who observed the experiments closely might state what 

 appears at first to be a very strong argument against our conclu- 

 sions. For example, in Box 5, which had two fastenings, I 

 called the order in which the animal was put through the two 

 "direct," the other possible order "reverse." No. 4, who was 

 put through, did the acts in the reverse order roughly two-thirds 

 of the times, and No. 3 probably three-fourths of the times. I 

 (iid not succeed in establishing the order in which I had put the 

 animal through. This is a serious objection until we compare it 

 with the behavior of the animals which were not put through. 

 Let us examine the records of No. 2 and No. i for July 19, 1905, 

 calling that order, "direct" in which the animal attacks the fasten- 

 ings for three consecutive times. No. 2, on the morning of that 

 date, followed the direct order eleven times after he established 

 it. In the afternoon he did it in the reverse order thirteen out of 

 fourteen trials. I will quote from my record of his work the next 

 morning. "Direct, reverse, direct, reverse, direct, reverse, reverse, 

 reverse, direct, reverse, direct, reverse, reverse, direct, reverse, re- 

 verse, reverse." This is typical. On the morning of July 19, No. i 

 did the act eleven times in the direct order and five in the reverse. 

 In the afternoon twice in the direct and seven times in the reverse 

 order. The fact is the raccoons never mechanize the order of 

 their performances into a settled routine. Therefore if at this 

 point of study I were asked the question. Did the animals perform 

 the same act you put them through ? I should answer, they did 

 and they did not. They were put through most of these acts with 

 one forepaw. They did the act with that paw, with the other 

 forepaw and with both forepaws and exactly the same is true of 

 those who learned the fastenings by trial and error. The question, 

 however, may be changed to, Can the animal be made to learn the 

 act you put him through and to employ no other ? Yes, it hap- 

 pens that this can be easily done with these animals. 



A more decisive test of the value of putting through would be, 

 of course, one which answers the question, Does the raccoon, by 

 being put through an act, learn to operate a mechanism which it 

 had failed to learn by its own efforts ? 



