INSTINCTS AND HABITS IN CHICKS 11 



the chick. But the reaction came out unmistakably a moment 

 later on the side of the glass dish. The water was still, the glass 

 was dry, and the chick ran its bill along the edge of the glass 

 exhibiting plainly the drinking movements without touching the 

 water. It later found the water and began to drink without 

 assistance. 



No. 8i. On the first attempt it dipped its bill into the still 

 water and drank from a point at which I could distinguish no 

 special object in the water. While crouching by the dish drink- 

 ing, as its bill was coming down slowly at the termination of 

 a drinking reaction, it turned its head to the left, touched its 

 bill gently to a bit of dry chick food lying within reach, and per- 

 formed the drinking reaction upon it. It did not eat the grain. 



No. 79. Pecked side of dish. Ran beak along edge of dish. 

 Its beak (accidentally) slipped into the water. After this the 

 chick began to drink. Frequently ran beak down the outside 

 of the dish. 



No. 73. Did not peck at dish nor find water. No. 74 was 

 placed on the table with no. 73. No. 74 pecked five times at 

 the edge of the dish, not touching the water, when no. 73 began 

 to peck near the same place. The latter 's bill slipped into the 

 water and it began to drink energetically. 



No. 76. I shook the water in its presence and it pecked into 

 it. It began to drink and twitter. Pecked the edge of the dish. 

 Ran its bill along the outside and inner edge of it. 



c. Discussion of results. — Spalding,' commenting on the 

 drinking of chicks, remarks: "It also appeared that, though 

 thirsty, they did not recognize water by sight, 

 and they had to some extent to learn to drink." Discussing 

 the same instinct, Morgan ^ says: " The statement of fact (so 

 far as my observations go) that I made was this: That the 

 sight of still water evoked no instinctive response; but that 

 the touch of water in the bill at once evoked the characteristic 

 instinctive behavior." Mills ' expresses his opinion thus: " It 

 is not primarily so much the sight, but rather the touch of water 

 . that in the very first instance leads to drinking." 



' Spalding, D. A.: Loc. dt., p. 288. 



^Morgan, C. L. : The habit of drinking in young birds. Science, N. S., 1896, 

 vol. 3, p. 900. 



^ Mills, W.: The nature and development of animal intelligence. New York, 

 1898, p. 281. 



