2i8 MIND IN EVOLUTION CHAP. 



I did not begin by showing him how to do this, as I wanted 

 to see whether he could puzzle it out for himself. At the first 

 trial the door was pushed accidentally, but it is not likely that 

 Jack saw how it happened. At the second, Jack managed by an 

 extra high jump to catch the string. At the third, I called 

 attention to the door, and he pushed it. At the fourth, he 

 pushed the door on the wrong side, without result. I pointed to 

 the door again, and he stood up to it, so moving it ; whether 

 intentionally or not was not clear. He then twice got the meat 

 by knocking the door with his back as he jumped up towards the 

 string ; but at the seventh time he failed altogether, and I showed 

 him the whole process. After this, he never failed to respond to 

 the pointing, 1 which I made slighter and slighter till, on the 

 third day, and twenty-third trial in all, I dispensed with it. 



This series was abnormal in the number of trials re- 

 quiring suggestion after the first success. It may be noted, 

 however, that while there was one complete failure after 

 the first success, there was no such failure after he had 

 once been shown. This experiment is mainly interesting 

 as illustrating what Mr. Small calls crassness. The dog 

 learns quickly that he is to push a door ; but which way 

 he is to push it is a point which he treats as more or less 

 immaterial. 



(14). Weight. 



I arranged the box already described on a table, with 

 the projecting bar pointing upwards. In this position, if 

 the lid were not held, the door would fall open of its own 

 weight, and a biscuit would fall out. I then tied a string 

 to the lever, and passed it over the back of the box nearly 

 to the floor. A flat iron placed on a hook at the end of 

 the string held the lid closed. If the flat iron was knocked 

 off the lid fell. 



Jack pretty quickly learned to knock it off. I showed him 

 four times without success, the mechanism being defective. 2 

 After the mechanism was put right, I showed him three times. 

 The third time he tugged hard at the string. The fourth time 

 he stared hard at the iron, and then retired. I said to him, " Get 

 it." He whined, and went towards the box. I said to him, 



1 At the first trial next day he showed no remembrance when I touched 

 the door. He then put his paws up, but it was not quite clear that he 

 pushed with intention. 



2 For the same reason two previous trials had been without result. 



