96 'Journal of Cotnparativc Neurology and Psychology. 



ment regarding them is unnecessary. How any person of a scientific habit of 

 mind can still uphold the general validity of the local action theory ot tropisms in the 

 face of the facts which have been brought out by Jennings showing just how uni- 

 cellular organisms actually do react to "directive" stimuli, passes all understanding. 

 In this chapter a brief section is given to a discussion of the various systems of ter- 

 minology and nomenclature which have been devised for use in animal behavior 

 work. The following sentences demand quotation: "To the present writer, after 

 a long continued attempt to use some of the systems of nomenclature devised, 

 descriptions of the facts of behavior in the simplest language possible seems a great 

 gain for clear thinking and unambiguous expression. It investigators on the lower 

 organisms would for a considerable time devote themselves to giving in such simple 

 terms a full account of behavior in all its details, paying special attention to the 

 effect of the movements performed on the relationof the organism to the stimulating 

 agent, this would be a great gain for our understanding of the real nature of behav- 

 ior and some theories now maintained would quickly disappear. Less attention 

 to nomenclature and definitions, and more to the study of organisms as units, in 

 their relation to the environment, is at the present time the great need in the study 

 of behavior in lower organisms. " Who does not heartily agree ? 



Chapter XV asks the question : " Is the behavior of lower organisms composed 

 of reflexes V The answer may be gathered from the following sentences: "The 

 behavior of Paramecium and the sea-urchin is reflex if the behavior ot the dog and of 

 man is reflex; objective evidence does not indicate that there is from this point of 

 view any fundamental difi^erence in the cases. " The next three chapters contain a 

 searching analysis of the phenomena of behavior in lower organisms. The general 

 result of this analysis is summed up by the author as follows: "The three most 

 significant features of behavior appear to be (i) the determination of the nature of 

 reactions by the relation of external conditions to the internal physiological processes, 

 and particularly the general principle that interference with these processes causes a 

 change in behavior; (2) reaction by varied and overproduced movements, with 

 selection from the varied conditions resulting from these movements — or, in brief, 

 reaction by selection of overproduced movements; (3) the law of the readier resolu- 

 tion of physiological states after repetition. The first of these phenomena pro- 

 duces the regulatory character of behavior. The second and third furnish the 

 mainsprings for the development of behavior, the second being constructive, the 

 third conservative." 



In Chapter XIX are set forth the author's views regarding the development of 

 behavior. Space is lacking for a full consideration of the argument on this subject. 

 The principal factors which make for progressive development of more eflPective 

 {i.e., adaptive) behavior in the individual are held to be (i) the selection of varied 

 movements as a general method of behavior, and (2) "the law in accordance with 

 which the resolution of one physiological state into another becomes readier and 

 more rapid through repetition." It is shown in detail how these factors might lead 

 in several ways to progressive development in behavior. To account for progressive 

 evolution of the race in respect to behavior the author, after rejecting the inherit- 

 ance of acquired characters as unproven, falls back on the principle of natural 

 selection operating according to the method which has been called "organic selec- 

 tion." In reading over this section one cannot escape the feeling that the author 

 only adopts natural selection to account for race progress in behavior because there 



