Page:American Journal of Psychology Volume 21.djvu/58

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48
PORTER

accidental manner. It is, of course, understood that all these first successes are accidental. In this case it will be easily seen it was if possible more so. In flying to the top on the front side of the box the Oriole slipped off and struck the topmost string. He succeeded in the next trial by using his foot on the lower string. The yth trial required an inordinately long time and his final method is far removed from the simplest way in which the door may be opened. What he did was to put the beak through the wire and pull the black threads which run vertically from the latch in order that they may be attached to the outside strings. A most indirect method, one which

TABLE XI

Tests with Food-box on two male Baltimore Orioles, three Cowbirds and two young English Sparrows.