﻿200 
  ANIMAL 
  BEHAVIOUR 
  

  

  infrequent 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  complex 
  instincts, 
  namely, 
  the 
  serial 
  

   nature 
  of 
  the 
  adaptation. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  sequence 
  of 
  activities, 
  

   and 
  the 
  whole 
  sequence 
  is 
  adaptive 
  in 
  its 
  nature." 
  

  

  What 
  are 
  the 
  general 
  characteristics 
  of 
  instinctive 
  be- 
  

   haviour 
  as 
  exhibited 
  by 
  animals 
  like 
  ants, 
  bees, 
  and 
  wasps, 
  

   of 
  the 
  little 
  brain 
  type? 
  

  

  (1) 
  Instinctive 
  behaviour 
  in 
  its 
  typical 
  form 
  is 
  always 
  

   specific 
  or 
  particulate. 
  The 
  garden-spider's 
  web 
  is 
  not 
  like 
  

   the 
  hedge-spider's 
  web; 
  the 
  nest 
  of 
  one 
  wild-bee 
  is 
  not 
  like 
  

   another's 
  ; 
  each 
  wasp 
  has 
  its 
  own 
  victims 
  which 
  it 
  deals 
  with 
  

   in 
  its 
  own 
  way; 
  the 
  female 
  butterfly 
  lays 
  eggs 
  on 
  specific 
  

   food-plants 
  which 
  are 
  appreciated 
  not 
  by 
  her 
  but 
  by 
  the 
  

   future 
  caterpillars 
  ; 
  and 
  so 
  on. 
  Another 
  aspect 
  of 
  the 
  par- 
  

   ticulateness 
  is 
  a 
  certain 
  wooden 
  lack 
  of 
  plasticity. 
  

  

  (2) 
  The 
  routine 
  of 
  instinctive 
  behaviour 
  has 
  often 
  a 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  degree 
  of 
  perfection 
  the 
  very 
  first 
  time, 
  and 
  while 
  

   it 
  may 
  be 
  improved 
  by 
  practice, 
  it 
  certainly 
  does 
  not 
  require 
  

   learning 
  or 
  experimenting. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  instinctive 
  

   behaviour 
  depends 
  upon 
  a 
  hereditary 
  predisposition 
  of 
  the 
  

   nervous 
  system. 
  Professor 
  Driesch 
  has 
  defined 
  instinctive 
  

   behaviour 
  as 
  " 
  a 
  complicated 
  reaction 
  that 
  is 
  perfect 
  the 
  

   very 
  first 
  time 
  ", 
  but 
  this 
  inclines 
  to 
  be 
  too 
  hard 
  and 
  fast, 
  

   for 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  individual 
  development 
  in 
  

   some 
  instincts. 
  ISTone 
  the 
  less 
  Paley 
  expressed 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   characteristics 
  of 
  instinct 
  when 
  he 
  spoke 
  of 
  it 
  as 
  " 
  a 
  pro- 
  

   pensity 
  prior 
  to 
  experience 
  and 
  independent 
  of 
  instruction 
  '\ 
  

   Instinctive 
  behaviour 
  * 
  just 
  comes 
  ' 
  when 
  the 
  organism 
  is 
  

   exposed 
  to 
  the 
  appropriate 
  stimulation. 
  

  

  (3) 
  The 
  capacity 
  for 
  a 
  particular 
  piece 
  of 
  instinctive 
  be- 
  

   haviour 
  is 
  shared 
  with 
  approximate 
  equality 
  by 
  all 
  like 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  the 
  species. 
  All 
  the 
  female 
  spiders 
  of 
  a 
  given 
  species 
  

   make 
  an 
  equally 
  fine 
  web; 
  all 
  the 
  males 
  an 
  equally 
  inferior 
  

  

  