MENTAL LIFE OF MONKEYS AND APES 91 



then try some new method of reaching it. His gaze was delib- 

 erate and in the handling of the boxes he accurately gauged 

 distances. Several times he succeeded in placing the larger box 

 almost directly under the banana, and repeatedly he located 

 that portion of the side wall from which he could most nearly 

 reach the coveted prize. 



From my notes I quote the following comment on the results 

 of the initial experiment: " Despite all that has been written 

 concerning the intelligent behavior of the orang utan, I was 

 amazed by Julius's behavior this morning, for it was far more 

 deliberate and apparently reflective as well as more persistently 

 directed toward the goal than I had anticipated. I had looked 

 for sporadic attempts to obtain the banana, with speedy dis- 

 couragement and such fluctuations of attention as would be 

 exhibited by a child of two to four years. But in less than ten 

 minutes Julius made at least ten obvious and well directed 

 attempts to reach the food. There were also wanderings, efforts 

 to obtain aid from the experimenter, and varied attempts to 

 escape from the cage." 



Before proceeding further with the description of the behavior 

 of Julius in the box stacking test, I shall describe for contrast 

 the behavior of a boy three years four months of age when 

 confronted with a situation practically identical with that which 

 the ape was given an opportunity to meet. For the child, the 

 banana was suspended, as previously described, from the roof 

 of the cage. The same two boxes were placed on the floor at 

 considerable distances from the banana, and in addition, a light 

 stick, about six feet long, and a piece of board, the latter by 

 accident, were on the floor. The child was asked to get the 

 banana for Julius, and he eagerly and confidently volunteered 

 to do so. 



His behavior may best be described by enumeration of the 

 several attempts made. They include (1) placing the larger 

 box nearly under the banana and reaching from it. (2) Stand- 

 ing of the larger box on end with resulting failure because the 

 child could not stand on the sloping edges of the top of the 

 box. (3) The larger box was turned on its side and the lighter 

 box drawn up opposite it and stood on end. The child then 

 mounted the larger box and from it stepped to the top of the 

 smaller. But the boxes had not been placed beneath the banana, 



