Animal Intelligence

Abstract

I AM not aware whether or not the following case has appeared among the numerous instances under this head already given in the columns of NATURE. It is to be found in Vogt and Specht's “Die Säugetiere in Wort und Bild” (p. 11). The writer of the text of that work says:—“I have myself seen a case in which a chimpanzee, who had got himself a little scratched by the point of a slightly projecting nail in the wall of his cage, first carefully examined the same, then sought to remove it, and afterwards, when he was let out, immediately proceeded to search for the head of the nail on the outside of the wall, and then, on finding it, began to try to pull out the nail with his fingers and teeth, and when this was done for him with a pair of pincers, broke out into lively demonstrations of joy”.