ji'.NNiNGS, Uexkiill on Physiology (jj Behavior. 33 1 



than to aid the mind. It is nut possible to conclude directly from 

 the properties of the assumed machines as to what physiological 

 pro])erties one will find, for the parallelism is far from complete, 

 so one must try to keep the system of machinery separate from the 

 system of })hysiological facts ; there are two systems to grasp in place 

 of one. The reader finds it difficult if not impossible to disentangle 

 statements which the author wishes to present as verifiable facts, 

 from statements which are a mere necessity for carrying out the 

 figurative schonui. V. Uexkiill shows all through his work an 

 astounding facility in concluding as to the structures that must be 

 present, from the functions which he sees performed. The reader 

 wonders whether these structures are held to actually exist, or whether 

 they are part of the fictitious schema. The reviewer finds that for 

 his own use it becomes necessary in reading v. Uexkilll's work to 

 ask ''Now, what did the author here actually observe and demon- 

 strate?" It then becomes neces.sary to transform or almost re-write 

 a paper before the verifiable results can be disentangled from the 

 figurative presentation. I believe that this condition of affairs has 

 ])revented the work of v. Uexkiill from exercising the great influence 

 that it deserves from its im})ortance. JSTothing would be more help- 

 ful to most readers than for the author, after putting his results 

 together in the figurative language of his peculiar system as he has 

 done in his Guide (29), to give us a new compendium of his experi- 

 ments and results, making the test of admission that which is veri- 

 fiable, or at least that which the author believes will be found veri- 

 fial)]e. This would not involve, of course, the omission of his im- 

 portant concepts of "'Schaltung,'" "Klinkung" and the like, for these 

 are names for experimentally verifiable processes and conditions ; nor 

 would it involve the omission of general laws, as verifiable statements 

 tliat apply to whole classes of objects ; nor Avonld it exclude hy})oth- 

 tses, presented as such, for these are propositions which the author 

 believes will be found verifiable on further investigation. It would 

 involve simply the omission of what the autlioi- himself recognizes as 

 fictitious. I l)clieve it would be found that nothing of value had been 

 lost; that the author's important work would stand out with a clear- 

 ness not before attained. Further, in the technical accounts of his 



