4 Psychological Distinctions 



perience; nor to deny to them the capability of observation 

 and reflection, whereby to modify, to a considerable extent, 

 their instinctive conduct : neither do I assert that the human 

 race is totally devoid of intuition, when I see the infant take 

 naturally to the breast ; when I perceive the force of the ma- 

 ternal attachment, and the ardour of the several passions : 

 which latter, however, are, of course, but incentives to con- 

 duct common to both man and animals. In only the human 

 species are the actions resulting from them unguided by in- 

 tuitive knowledge. All I contend for is, that the ruling prin- 

 ciple of human actions is essentially distinct from that which 

 mainly actuates the brute creation, whence the general influ- 

 ence of the two is diverse in kind ; and I mistake if I cannot 

 establish the position. 



The brief period that elapses before most animals are com- 

 pelled to perform the part allotted to their species, precludes 

 the possibility of their attaining sufficient information from 

 external sources, and renders, therefore, the possession of a 

 substitute for knowledge so obtained absolutely requisite. 

 We have already seen that such a substitute is not wanting ; 

 but that all the knowledge necessary to insure their general 

 welfare is intuitively conferred on the brute creation. Their 

 various actions, in wild nature, are consequently based on this 

 innate knowledge ; which, being the same in every individual 

 of the same species, in a natural state (that is, as completely 

 uncontrolled by those peculiar changes of condition which 

 man only, the exception of all other animals, can bring 

 about), superinduces a normal uniformity of habit through- 

 out the members of a species, which is rarely modified to any 

 considerable extent by individual experience. Now, this 

 uniformity is at variance with what reasoning from observa- 

 tion could possibly lead to; and, as it extends even to the 

 resource of creatures of the same species, when driven to 

 emergency, we have herein sufficient intimation that their 

 wiles and stratagems, however consonant with what reasoning 

 from observation might suggest, may nevertheless be purely 

 instinctive, perfectly unalloyed with any wisdom resulting 

 from experience. 



To ascend from illustrations the least equivocal, let me 

 here cite the nidification of the feathered tribes. Who, that 

 considers the wonderful fact, that not only genera, but even 

 species, of birds are for the most part distinctly indicated by 

 their nests, can fail to recognise in this the operation of a prin- 

 ciple essentially distinct from that which we understand by the 

 word reason ? which latter, in human beings, can, of course, 



