178 H. C. STEVENS 



animal would not decorate itself although he realizes that such 

 a statement is merely an expression of individual opinion. 



It seems very unlikely that acquired specific chromotropism 

 is limited to Oregonia gracilis. Assuming that the facts stated 

 in section 2 of this paper are confirmed by other workers, it 

 is only reasonable to suppose that similar results will be found 

 in other forms of life. If such a resonance is found to be widely 

 distributed n nature, the co-existence in the same animal of 

 an acquired chromotropism and a decorating instinct would 

 be merely accidental and not causal. Proof by means of an 

 experimentum cruris, of this assumed disconnectedness of the 

 two phenomena in Oregonia gracilis, depends upon a tactile 

 anesthesia in an animal with a demonstrated acquired specific 

 chromotropism. If such a crab did not decorate itself, the 

 hypothesis here suggested would be confirmed. 





