372 HALF HOURS WITH rNTSECTS. [Packard. 



whole succeeded the lower. How could this have been 

 brought afbout unless animals were provided with a variable 

 instinct? Indeed, those who deny animals reason admit as 

 an alternative that instinct is not always invariable. But 

 how can instincts vary unless insects have in a slight degree 

 the power of discrimination ? 



Mr. George H. Lewes, in an article on Instinct in "Na- 

 ture" (April 10, 1873), has well summed up this subject of 

 choice or discrimination in the following words : " To con- 

 clude : when there is no alternative open to an action it is 

 impulsive ; where there is, or originally was, an alternative, 

 the action is instinctive ; where there are alternatives which 

 may still determine the action, and the choice is free, we call 

 the action intelligent." 



It follows that if insects do choose between two courses 

 of action they have the power of perceiving the likeness 

 between two objects. For example, a white butterfly has 

 been seen to suddenly change its course and fly down to a 

 piece of white paper. It perceives a similarity between the 

 paper and one of its own species, or perhaps to a cruciferous 

 flower on the leaves of which it laj's its eggs. If it were 

 not for this principle how could insects recognize others of 

 their own species? It is obvious that insects have this prin- 

 ciple of similarity strongl}^ developed. "Were it not for this 

 mental quality the species would die out. By means of this 

 power the bee recognizes its companions, and also by 

 this power of identification or recognition, it finds its hive 

 after leaving it out of sight for a long time. It is well 

 known that bees and other insects may be lost. When they 

 first begin to fly from the hive they go but a little distance 

 and act as though fixing the landmarks in their mind. 

 Making longer flights they familiarize themselves with the 

 ground over which they fly, until, to those who have not 

 known how this power of finding their way home has been 

 attained, the act seems purely instinctive and not one of 



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