204 MIND IN EVOLUTION CHAP. 



sit in the same place, pawing the catch down two or three 

 times running. At the same time he generally modified 

 the act in some slight way so as to get it open in the end. 

 Jack, on the other hand, found out the whole process 

 for himself in one trial. He had by this time had a con- 

 siderable experience of boxes, and he went straight for the 

 latch. His record is as follows : 



1. Not shown. After a little scrabbling, raises latch with nose, 

 scrabbles at it, and knocks it down two or three times. Tries to 

 pull it with mouth. At length opens. N.B. He attacked 

 fastening immediately. 



2. Begins scrabbling. Soon lifts with nose, and after an un- 

 successful attempt, opens with paw. 15". 



3. Lifts latch at once, and scrabbles at it with paw, but 

 knocks it down again. Then takes it in mouth, lifts, and 

 opens. 24". 



4. Lifts at once ; scratches open. 9". 



5- 5". 



6. 4". 



Next evening runs at box arranged for cat, lifts twice with 

 nose, each time knocking down again with paw ; lifts again, and 

 opens with paw. 



I cannot regard any part of Jack's behaviour on this 

 occasion as a wholly random act. He selected the catch 



for attack, soon found that some- 

 thing was movable, and moved 

 it. He would then feel that the 

 door was free, and would try to 

 scratch it open. That, notwith- 

 standing initial failures in the 

 scratching suitably varied once 



6, bolt, drawn ; c, catch, raised ; , ... . , /, . , 



/, lever. by pulling with the teeth he 



should have virtually learnt the 



whole business in one trial, indicates something more like 

 appreciation of the actual thing that needed doing, and 

 the dependence of one point on another, than anything 

 else that I have seen in Jack's behaviour. 



For the otter I had a different kind of catch. The 

 projecting wooden lever of the lid had a notch cut in it, 

 into which another wooden lever, pivoted on the side, 

 descended. Once raised, the catch did not fall again, as 



