OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 87 



narrow sphere, Instinct is certainly superior to Intellect ; for it is infal- 

 lible, and the perfection of its work man cannot imitate. Man does his 

 work ill, better, well ; the animal always does his perfectly. But In- 

 stinct is blind, unchangeable, and narrow, or limited to a very few 

 ends ; so that the same animal, while working within its appointed 

 sphere, often appears as a miracle of wisdom ; but when forced to 

 attempt anything outside of that sphere, it reappears in its true char- 

 acter as a mere brute. Intellect, on the other hand, is fallible, con- 

 scious of itself, discursive or even infinitely varied in its apphcations, 

 and perfectible by small degrees. The unchangeableness of Instinct 

 appears in this fact, that the nest of the bird, the cell of the bee, and 

 the web of the spider are reproduced after the same form as rigorously 

 as the flower and fruit of a plant. 



If the view now taken is correct, the answer to our third question is 

 obvious. It is impossible that Instinct and Intellect should ever be 

 conjoined, or found to exist together in the same being, whether in 

 the brute or in man. We cannot even imagine Reason acting without 

 self-consciousness, or looking into the future without the guidance of 

 experience or instruction, or making accurate and sufficient provision 

 for future wants without foresight of those wants, and without conscious 

 adaptation of its means to its ends. It is needless to bring together in- 

 stances of curious, complex, and far-reaching instincts, such as those of 

 the bee, the spidei', and the migratory bird, wherewith to excite man's 

 wonder. Every instance of Instinct, even the simplest, is marvellous to 

 him, for it is incomprehensible. Man must learn to perform even the 

 simplest acts by slow degrees, after many efforts, many mistakes and 

 failures, and generally with much guidance. He must learn to walk. 

 He must learn to select his food. He must even learn to see, for 

 nothing is more certain than his inability, by the first use of his eyes, 

 to determine either the distance, position, or magnitude of any object 

 whatever. On the other hand, the newly dropped lamb or colt 

 walks with ease, avoids any obstacles that may be in its way, and 

 goes directly to the dugs of its dam, whence alone it can obtain its 

 proper food. Whose hand guides it at once to this source of nourish- 

 ment, when imitation would certainly lead it to crop the herbage, like 

 its parents ? 



Another fact is worthy of notice as establishing a fundamental dif- 

 ference between these two faculties. Insects, and the Articulata gen- 

 erally, which have no brain properly so called, show more complex and 



