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  ANIMAL 
  BEHAVIOUR 
  

  

  vene, 
  e.g., 
  in 
  type-writing 
  and 
  piano-playing, 
  between 
  the 
  

   external 
  stimulus 
  and 
  the 
  overt 
  reactions 
  when 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  

   single 
  reflex 
  is 
  involved. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  present 
  any 
  convincing 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  

   direct 
  results 
  of 
  habituation 
  can 
  be 
  as 
  such 
  entailed 
  on 
  the 
  off- 
  

   spring, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  few 
  available 
  facts 
  in 
  support 
  of 
  the 
  

   theory 
  once 
  widely 
  held 
  that 
  instinctive 
  predispositions 
  to 
  

   go 
  through 
  a 
  certain 
  routine 
  are 
  the 
  hereditary 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  

   habituation 
  of 
  what 
  was 
  originally 
  intelligent. 
  That 
  the 
  

   instinctive 
  capacities 
  are 
  inborn 
  is 
  certain, 
  but 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  

   follow 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  due 
  to 
  ' 
  lapsed 
  intelligence 
  '. 
  At 
  

   the 
  same 
  time, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  fact 
  of 
  observation 
  that 
  the 
  individual 
  

   performance 
  of 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  instinctive 
  routine 
  may 
  bring 
  with 
  

   it 
  an 
  increased 
  perfection. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  very 
  interesting 
  to 
  find 
  that 
  particular 
  reactions 
  

   periodically 
  repeated 
  may 
  take 
  such 
  a 
  grip 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  

   constitution 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  exhibited 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  

   the 
  liberating 
  external 
  stimulus. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  this 
  

   implies, 
  in 
  part 
  at 
  least, 
  that 
  long 
  continuance 
  of 
  external 
  

   periodicities 
  has 
  established 
  internal 
  rhythms 
  in 
  some 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  metabolism 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  creature. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  simplest 
  forms 
  of 
  behaviour, 
  which 
  imply 
  little 
  

   more 
  than 
  a 
  co-ordination 
  of 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  reflexes 
  towards 
  a 
  

   desired 
  result, 
  there 
  must 
  also 
  be 
  organic 
  registration. 
  This 
  

   is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  simple 
  experiment 
  of 
  putting 
  a 
  starfish 
  on 
  

   its 
  back, 
  for 
  it 
  learns 
  to 
  right 
  itself 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  quickly 
  

   as 
  time 
  goes 
  on. 
  Although 
  its 
  effective 
  behaviour 
  is 
  not 
  

   instinctive, 
  for 
  it 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  learned, 
  nor 
  intelligent, 
  since 
  

   there 
  are 
  no 
  nerve-ganglia, 
  it 
  improves 
  with 
  practice. 
  

  

  We 
  shall 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  when 
  we 
  come 
  to 
  discuss 
  

   the 
  evolution 
  of 
  behaviour, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  meantime 
  we 
  notice 
  

   the 
  suggestion 
  that 
  it 
  is, 
  metaphorically 
  speaking, 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  