will doubtless agree that he has not adequately described the various
forms of behavior of which they are capable. I have quoted his description
as an illustration of the weakness which is characteristic of most popular
accounts of animal behavior. It proves that it is not sufficient to watch
and then describe. The fact is that he who adequately describes the
behavior of any animal watches again and again under natural and
experimental conditions, and by prolonged and patient observation makes
himself so familiar with his subject that it comes to possess an
individuality as distinctive as that of his human companions. To the
casual observer the individuals of a strange race are almost
indistinguishable. Similarly, the behavior of all the animals of a
particular species seems the same to all except the observer who has
devoted himself whole-heartedly to the study of the subject and who has
thus become as familiar with their life of action as most of us are with
that of our fellow-men; for him each individual has its own unmistakable
characteristics.

I shall now describe the behavior of the dancing mouse in the light of the
results of the observation of scores of individuals for months at a time,
and of a large number of experiments. From time to time I shall refer to
points in the accounts of the subject previously given by Rawitz (25 p.
236), Cyon (9 p. 214), Alexander and Kreidl (1 p. 542), Zoth (31 p. 147),
and Kishi (21 p. 479).

The most striking features of the ordinary behavior of the dancer are
restlessness and movements in circles. The true dancer seldom runs in a
straight line for more than a few centimeters, although, contrary to the
statements of Rawitz and Cyon, it is able to do so on occasion for longer
distances. Even before it is old enough to escape from the nest it begins
to move in circles and to exhibit the quick, jerky head movements which