248 THE WONDER OF LIFE 



fine discrimination was necessary, a strong electrical stimu- 

 lation — the punishment of error — seemed to hinder, not to 

 help, progress. 



The case of the dancing mouse, so carefully studied 

 by Dr. Yerkes, seems peculiarly interesting because of 

 what one may call its nonchalance and inattentiveness. 



' Most Mammals which have been experimentally studied 

 have proved their eagerness and ability to learn the shortest, 

 quickest and simplest route to the food without the addi- 

 tional spur of punishment for wandering. With the dancer 

 it is different. It is content to be moving — whether the 

 movement carries it directly to the food-box is of secondary 

 importance. On its way to the food-box, no matter 

 whether the box be shghtly or strikingly different from 

 its companion box, the dancer may go by way of the 

 wrong box, may take a few turns, cut some figure eights, 

 or even spin hke a top for a few seconds almost within 

 vibrissa-reach of the food-box, and all this though it be 

 very hrmgry '. 



But in spite of this lack of concentration, it learns to 

 discriminate successfully. 



It is difficult to know how much imitation counts for m 

 animal behaviour. A monkey which has learned to work 

 a piece of mechanism is sometimes able to teach others to 

 imitate all the required movements, but often it meets 

 with the variety of futile imitations that other teachers are 

 famihar with. In one case, the simple trick of reaching a 

 fruit with a stick was learned by one, yet never imitated 

 by his companions. It is probable that in the natural 

 life of the creature, and in the play period, imitation counts 

 for much more than experiment has as yet indicated. 



