EMOTIONAL*AND INSTINCTIVE ACTIONS. 337 



abnormal movements are effected, in those disorders of the Nervous centres, 

 which may be most distinctly referred to the Emotional system ; such as 

 Chorea and Hysteria. 



438. The correspondence between the purely Emotional actions in Man, 

 and those actions in the lower animals to which we give the name of Instinc- 

 tive, may be made evident by a very simple illustration. The Cuttle-fish is 

 well known to discharge its ink, when pursued, and to tinge the water around 

 with a colour so deep, as to enable it to escape under the cloud thus formed. 

 Now it is not to be supposed, that the Cuttle-fish has any notion of the pur- 

 pose which this act will serve; since its constancy and uniformity, and the 

 provision for its performance immediately on the emersion of the young ani- 

 mal from the egg, forbid our regarding it as the result of any act of reasoning. 

 Further, the ink is an excretion which corresponds to the urine (having been 

 found to contain .urea) ; and every one knows how strong an impulse to dis- 

 charge this, is frequently caused by mental emotion. The same may be said 

 of the strongly odorous secretions possessed by many Mammalia, which are 

 discharged under similar circumstances, and evidently with the same object: 

 though of that object, the animal itself be not conscious. The emotion of 

 fear involuntarily opens the sphincters, and causes the contraction of the recep- 

 tacle, in one case as in the other ; and the great difference between the condi- 

 tion of Man, and that of the lower animals, in this respect, is simply that, in 

 the former, the purely Emotional or Instinctive actions are few in comparison 

 with the whole, whilst in the latter they constitute by far the largest part ; and 

 also that Man has much greater power of controlling these actions by a volun- 

 tary effort, than that which the lower animals possess, although even he is not 

 unfrequently compelled by the strength of his Emotions to act against his 

 Will. Thus, we see or hear something ludicrous, which involuntarily pro- 

 duces laughter, although we may have the strongest motives for desiring to 

 restrain it. 



a. It is a very interesting question, how far actions at first performed voluntarily by Man. 

 may by habit cease to require an effort of the Will; being prompted, like the movements of 

 the Consensual class, by the direct impulse of sensations. Thus we all know that, in walking 

 along an accustomed road, we frequently occupy our minds with some continuous train of 

 thought, and yet our limbs continue to move under us with regularity, until we are surprised 

 by finding ourselves at the place of our destination, or perhaps at some other which we had 

 not intended to visit, but to which habit has conducted us. Or we may read aloud for a 

 long time, without haying in the least degree comprehended the meaning of the words we 

 have uttered; our attention having been closely engaged by some engrossing thoughts or 

 feelings within. Or a Musician may play a well-known piece of music, whilst carrying on 

 an animated conversation: the Author has known a skilful performer who could play at 

 sight whilst thus occupied. Now in such a case it would be said by some Metaphysicians 

 (acknowledging, as most do. that the mind cannot irill two different things at the same time) 

 that the Volition is in a sort of vibratory condition between the two sets of actions, now 

 prompting one, and now the other. But it would seem much more conformable to the 

 analogy afforded by other psychical phenomena, to refer the habitual series of actions to the 

 same operation of the Nervous System with the Instinctive; and perhaps the term .'ln/o/natic 

 may be fairly applied to the whole of this group. It is well known that in cases of severe 

 injury of the brain, in which Intelligence and Will seem completely in abeyance, habitual 

 actions may be often excited. Thus, Dr. Perceval, in his Essay on habit, mentions the case 

 of a snuff-taking Countess, in whom, when seized with apoplexy, irritation of the nose with 

 a feather produced contraction of the fore-finger and thumb of the right hand; and Mr. 

 Traverse has recorded a similar fact in the case of a boy, who, when apparently insensible 

 from depressed fracture of the skull, assisted in removing his clothes, preparatorily to the 

 required operation. 



439. The purely Emotional actions are not always directly excited, however, 

 by external sensations; for they may result from the operations of the Mind 

 itself. Thus involuntary laughter may result from a ludicrous idea, called up 

 by some train of association, and havino- no obvious connection with the sen- 



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