Behavior: Dance Movements 33 



dances," and " contre dances." Of these the first is whirling, 

 the second one form of circling, and the third the dancing of 

 two individuals together in the manner described above. 



Both the whirling and the circling occur to the right (clock- 

 wise) and to the left (anticlockwise). As certain observers 

 have stated that it is chiefly to the left and others that it is 

 as frequently to the right, I have attempted to get definite 

 information concerning the matter by observing a number 

 of individuals systematically and at stated intervals. My 

 study of this subject soon convinced me that a true conception 

 of the facts cannot be got simply by noting the direction of 

 turning from time to time. I therefore planned and carried 

 out a series of experimental observations with twenty dancers, 

 ten of each sex. One at a time these individuals were placed 

 in a glass jar, 26 cm. in diameter, and the number of circle 

 movements executed to the right and to the left during a period 

 of five minutes was determined as accurately as possible. 

 This was repeated at six hours of the day : 9 and 1 1 o'clock 

 A.M., and 2, 4, 6, and 8 o'clock P.M. In order^that habitua- 

 tion to the conditions under which the counts of turning were 

 made might not influence the results for the group, with ten 

 individuals the morning counts were made first, and with the 

 others the afternoon counts. No attempt was made in the 

 counting to keep a separate record of the whirling and circling, 

 although had it been practicable this would have been de- 

 sirable, for, as soon became evident to the observer, some 

 individuals which whirl in only one direction, circle in both. 

 In Table 2 the results of the counts for the males are re- 

 corded; in Table 3 those for the females. Each number 

 in the column headed "right" and "left" indicates the total 

 number of circles executed by a certain dancer in a period 

 of five minutes at the hour of the day named at the head of 

 the column. I may point out briefly the curiously interesting 



