THE SURPLUS ENERGY THEORY OF PLAY. 7 



imitation here set forth— namely, as the repetition of 

 serious activities to which the individual has himself 

 become accustomed — can not be applied directly to the 

 primary phenomena of play — that is, to its first ele- 

 mentary manifestations, to the play of young animals 

 and of children. For such plays, which must be ex- 

 plained at the very outset in order to get a satisfactory 

 conception of the subject, are very often not imitations 

 (Nachahmungen), but rather premonitions (Vorahm- 

 ungen) of the serious occupations of the individual. 

 The " experimenting " of little children and young ani- 

 mals, their movement, hunting, and fighting games, 

 which are the most important elementary forms of play, 

 are not imitative repetitions, but rather preparatory ef- 

 forts. They come before any serious activity, and evi- 

 dently aim at preparing the young creature for it and 

 making him familiar with it. The tiny bird that tries 

 its wings while still in the nest; the antelope that (as 

 Dr. A. Seitz, director of the zoological gardens at Frank- 

 fort, tells me) attempts to practise leaping at the age 

 of six weeks; the young monkey that playfully seizes 

 anything within his reach, and is only quieted when he 

 has caught his claws in the tufts of hair on his own 

 body, and fettered them; the giraffe that is at home in 

 its cage by the third day of life; the feline tribe that 

 learn so early to cling by their claws; the dog which 

 educates itself, by play, for fighting with other dogs, 

 and for pursuing, seizing, shaking, and rending its 

 prey; the infant that through continual practice in 

 moving the fingers and toes, in kicking, creeping, and 

 raising itself, in crowing and babbling, wins the mas- 

 tery over his organs; the boy that romps with others, 

 and "can no more help running after another boy 

 who runs provokingly near him than a kitten can help 

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