﻿ORGANISM 
  AND 
  MECHANISM 
  * 
  125 
  

  

  we 
  are 
  face 
  to 
  face 
  with 
  a 
  common 
  and 
  characteristic 
  fea- 
  

   ture 
  in 
  animal 
  behaviour, 
  that 
  the 
  creature 
  is 
  historically 
  

   tuned 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  receptor 
  of 
  a 
  unique 
  but 
  absolutely 
  indispen- 
  

   sable 
  stimulus 
  which 
  may 
  not 
  occur 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  in 
  the 
  

   life-history. 
  We 
  may 
  find 
  perhaps 
  some 
  analogies 
  to 
  this 
  

   in 
  the 
  inorganic 
  world 
  from 
  our 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  it 
  would 
  

   be 
  strange 
  if 
  there 
  were 
  not 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  supra-mechanical. 
  

   By 
  which 
  we 
  mean 
  that 
  it 
  requires 
  other 
  than 
  mechanical 
  

   concepts 
  for 
  its 
  formulation 
  especially 
  the 
  concept 
  of 
  the 
  

   organism 
  as 
  a 
  historic 
  being. 
  

  

  Sometimes, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  confessed, 
  even 
  the 
  postulate 
  of 
  

   historic 
  enregistering 
  does 
  not 
  help 
  us 
  very 
  much 
  as 
  yet, 
  

   witness 
  the 
  well-known 
  riddle 
  of 
  the 
  homing 
  of 
  birds. 
  Prof. 
  

   J. 
  B. 
  Watson 
  and 
  Dr. 
  K. 
  S. 
  Lashley 
  took 
  four 
  nesting 
  terns 
  

   (two 
  ' 
  noddies 
  ' 
  and 
  two 
  ' 
  sooties 
  ') 
  from 
  Bird 
  Key 
  in 
  the 
  

   Tortugas 
  to 
  Havana, 
  108 
  miles 
  off, 
  and 
  liberated 
  them 
  in 
  

   the 
  harbour 
  there. 
  They 
  were 
  back 
  at 
  Bird 
  Key 
  next 
  day, 
  

   having 
  probably 
  spent 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  recuperating 
  around 
  

   the 
  shores 
  of 
  Cuba. 
  Of 
  five 
  birds 
  liberated 
  off 
  Cape 
  Hat- 
  

   teras, 
  in 
  waters 
  which 
  these 
  terns 
  never 
  visit, 
  for 
  Bird 
  Key 
  

   is 
  the 
  northern 
  limit 
  of 
  their 
  migratory 
  range, 
  at 
  least 
  three 
  

   returned 
  to 
  their 
  nests 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days, 
  having 
  accomplished 
  

   a 
  journey 
  of 
  850 
  miles 
  as 
  the 
  crow 
  flies, 
  and 
  of 
  much 
  more 
  

   if 
  the 
  alongshore 
  route 
  was 
  followed. 
  Four 
  noddies 
  and 
  four 
  

   sooties 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  a 
  hooded 
  cage 
  on 
  a 
  Galveston 
  steamer 
  

   and 
  liberated 
  at 
  a 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mex- 
  

   ico, 
  461 
  statute 
  miles 
  from 
  home, 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  sight 
  of 
  every- 
  

   thing. 
  On 
  release, 
  all 
  birds, 
  with 
  one 
  exception, 
  started 
  east- 
  

   wards. 
  That 
  one 
  headed 
  westwards 
  and 
  continued 
  for 
  about 
  

   200 
  yards, 
  then 
  turned 
  suddenly 
  towards 
  the 
  east. 
  The 
  

   birds 
  had 
  a 
  strong 
  head 
  wind 
  against 
  them 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   first 
  day, 
  but 
  two 
  of 
  them 
  returned 
  to 
  their 
  nests 
  in 
  safety 
  

  

  