`delay` is not a function (jQuery 1.3)

This is the error i'm getting from Firebug using jQuery in a function outside (and before) the $(document).ready because it is used in a inline onclick event:

$("#_box").fadeIn(500).delay is not a function
$('#_box').fadeIn(500).delay(3000).fadeOut(500);

and this is the function:

function throwBox(message) {
    $('#_box').html(message);
    $('开发者_高级运维#_box').fadeIn(500).delay(3000).fadeOut(500);
}

Isn't delay() a jQuery function? What happens in my browser is that the fadeIn() function is called nicely and the box appear, but then stands there and doesn't disappear.

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I loaded an old copy of jQuery (1.3) instead of the new one while delay() was added in version 1.4 as suggested by Quintin Robinson.

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If you're stuck using jQuery 1.3 (maybe you're working with Drupal 6) a work-around is to animate a property that's constant.

For example, replace:

$("#id").delay(1000).fadeOut();

With:

$("#id").animate({top: 0}, 1000).fadeOut();