244 'Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology. 



No. I in his first work in Box lo failed because he worked two 

 slats loose and kept attacking them. He first failed in fourteen 

 minutes; was put through, then failed in one minute and thirty 

 seconds; was put through and failed in one minute and fifteen 

 seconds and was put again through. He then did the act in six 

 seconds. He afterward failed once, was put through and did the 

 act in six seconds. This is, as shown above, the usual condition. 

 The putting through helps to a quick success but does not insure 

 permanency unless repeated more times than a reflex perform- 

 ance. 



Box 14 was most difficult for it was fastened with a horizontal 

 hook which had to be lifted vertically, and the raccoon cannot well 

 lift an object vertically with his paw unless he can stand directly 

 above it. There remained but three possible ways to lift the hook, 

 namely, with the teeth, with the nose, or with the back of the head. 

 The latter was done but three times m all; I think this was because 

 in this case the animal could not see the hook become free and fall. 

 It was really a quick and convenient way of lifting the hook. 

 While No. 3 and No. 2 succeeded in this box, the other two rac- 

 coons failed. No. 4 failed after ten minutes of steady clawing. 

 She was put through ten times by lifting the hook with her nose. 

 She then lifted the hook with her nose after three minutes fifty-one 

 seconds, again in sixty-one seconds, then in tw^enty-three, then 

 in five, four, five and one seconds successively. Before being put 

 through No. 4 did not attack the latch directly. It was a black 

 hook, the box was of rather dark wood and all preceding latches 

 had been more conspicuous both in position and color. After 

 being put through she worked directly at the latch. If one objects 

 that No. 4 should have succeeded in less than three minutes, I can 

 only reply that the hook was a difficult fastening, that this is the 

 first time the raccoons had to learn to work with the nose and that 

 I am quite willing to grant that little or no skill comes from putting 

 through. Finally, let me add that No. 4 always worked the latch 

 with the nose, by the act she had been put through. 



No. 2 also failed on the horizontal hook. To make it a certain 

 failure I waited thirty-two minutes while he worked steadily. I 

 put him through five times by raising the hook with his nose. He 

 then succeeded in three and four-tenths seconds, then in seven and 

 two-tenths, and so on. Supported by the averages of the table 

 above, these two examples make it certain that raccoons can learn 



