Yoakum, Behavior of Squirrels. 545 



as possible to the experimenter in order to accustom him to the 

 proximity of his keeper. It is only the occasional squirrel which 

 will tame rapidly when left and fed always in the large cage where 

 he makes his home. By this means the animal was not handled dur- 

 ing experimentation until he accepted petting almost as a matter of 

 course. The problem-boxes, maze, etc., were also enclosed by wire 

 netting, which allowed the squirrels plenty of space for investigation 

 and still confined their movements to the space of a few feet around 

 the problem-boxes themselves. 



2. Experimenis with Prohleni-hoxes. — The first tests to be de- 

 scribed are already familiar to students of animal psychology. They 

 are of value only by reason of the fact that they afford a basis for 

 comparing the behavior of squirrels under given conditions with that 

 of other animals under similar conditions. A further, incidental, 

 point is brought out, namely, that the squirrel if kept under the 

 proper conditions as regards handling, food, etc., becomes a subject 

 entirely suited to the laboratory types of tests. 



The problem-boxes used in this first set of tests consisted of simple 

 latch boxes and the modified Hampton Court maze. 



The first box is called the "Sawdust box," the second, the "Out- 

 side latch box," the third, the "Inside latch box." In the first, 

 the animal must scratch away sawdust until he finds an opening 

 which leads underneath the floor of the box ; a hole in the floor gives 

 ingress to the box. The second and third boxes must be entered 

 through a side door fastened with a latch; a spring pulls the door 

 open when the latch is released. In the "Outside latch box" this is 

 accomplished by simply pushing up the bar from its resting place 

 in the socket. The bar of the "Inside latch box" is on the inside and 

 is lifted out of its socket by pulling upon a string which hangs out- 

 side the box and near the door.^ 



(a) The Sawdust Problem-box. — Tests on the sawdust box and 

 the outside latch box were completed by Miss Ethel Chamberlain 

 and Miss Lilian Sprague, graduate students in psychology, during 

 the Summer of 1907.^° The remainder of the experiments began 



•Photographs and detailed descriptions of the boxes may be found in 

 Watson's Animal Education, pp. 33 ff. 

 "In this cODDec'tion, I wish to thank them for the use of their records. 



