HABITS OF MOSES 131 



Moses tried to be honest, but he was affected with a 

 species of kleptomania and could not resist the temptation 

 to purloin anything that came in his way. The small stove 

 upon which I prepared my food was placed on a shelf in one 

 corner of the cage, about halfway between the floor and 

 the top. Whenever anything was set on the stove to 

 cook, he had to be watched to keep him from climbing up 

 the side of the cage, reaching his arm through the meshes, 

 and stealing the food. He was sometimes very persevering 

 in this matter. One day I set a tin can of water on the 

 stove to heat, in order to make some coffee. He silently 

 climbed up, reached his hand through, stuck it in the can, 

 and began to search for anything it might contain. I threw 

 out the water, refilled the can, and drove him away. In a 

 few minutes he returned and repeated the act. I had 

 a piece of canvas hung up on the outside of the cage to 

 keep him away. The can of water was placed on the stove 

 for the third time, but within a minute he found his way by 

 climbing up under the curtain, and between that and the 

 cage. I determined to teach him a lesson. He was 

 allowed to explore the can, but finding nothing, he withdrew 

 his hand and sat there clinging to the side of the cage. 

 Again he tried, but found nothing. The water was getting 

 warmer, but was still not hot. At length, for the third or 

 fourth time, he stuck his hand in it up to the wrist. By 

 this time the water was so hot that it scalded his hand. It 

 was not severe enough to do him any harm, but quite 

 enough so for a good lesson. He jerked his hand out with 

 such violence that he threw the cup over and spilt the water 

 all over that side of the cage. From that time to the 



