﻿MIND 
  OF 
  AN 
  INSECT 
  — 
  SNODGEASS 
  393 
  

  

  behavior 
  under 
  a 
  definition 
  implying 
  a 
  special 
  kind 
  of 
  reflex, 
  or 
  

   at 
  least 
  a 
  special 
  theory 
  to 
  explain, 
  reflexes. 
  The 
  specific 
  act 
  that 
  an 
  

   animal 
  performs 
  in 
  response 
  to 
  a 
  stimulus 
  is 
  called 
  a 
  reaction, 
  and 
  

   if 
  the 
  stii 
  mlus 
  is 
  a 
  natural 
  one 
  the 
  reaction 
  usually 
  plays 
  some 
  part 
  

   in 
  an 
  instinct. 
  All 
  the 
  factors 
  in 
  an 
  instinct 
  are 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  referred 
  

   literally 
  to 
  exte-nal 
  influences, 
  for 
  many 
  stimuli 
  have 
  their 
  origin 
  

   within 
  the 
  animal's 
  body, 
  being 
  the 
  effect 
  either 
  of 
  substances 
  result- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  the 
  ordinary 
  physiological 
  processes, 
  or 
  of 
  special 
  secretions 
  

   throvv-n 
  off 
  from 
  organs 
  at 
  a 
  particular 
  stage 
  of 
  activity 
  that 
  correlate 
  

   one 
  physiological 
  action 
  with 
  another. 
  These 
  internal 
  stimuli 
  are 
  

   not 
  yet 
  thoroughly 
  understood, 
  but 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  they 
  operate 
  

   through 
  special 
  internal 
  sense 
  organs. 
  

  

  Mechanical 
  reflexes 
  and 
  instincts 
  serve 
  admirably 
  for 
  maintaining 
  

   the 
  existence 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  in 
  which 
  individuals 
  are 
  abundant 
  and 
  can 
  

   be 
  readily 
  replaced, 
  for 
  since 
  they 
  depend 
  on 
  an 
  inherited 
  organiza- 
  

   tion 
  that 
  compels 
  all 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  to 
  act 
  alike 
  in 
  response 
  to 
  

   given 
  conditions 
  the}'^ 
  do 
  not 
  provide 
  for 
  appropriate 
  action 
  in 
  case 
  

   of 
  emergencies. 
  Insects 
  and 
  most 
  other 
  animals 
  with 
  highly 
  spe- 
  

   cialized 
  instincts 
  offset 
  their 
  emergency 
  losses 
  by 
  a 
  high 
  reproductive 
  

   rate. 
  Instinct 
  especially 
  fits 
  a 
  species 
  for 
  communal 
  life, 
  for 
  perfect 
  

   communism 
  entails 
  an 
  entire 
  renunciation 
  of 
  individualism. 
  Thus 
  

   the 
  beehive 
  comm.unity 
  or 
  the 
  ant-hill 
  community 
  is 
  an 
  organization 
  

   of 
  living 
  things 
  far 
  superior 
  in 
  its 
  organization 
  to 
  the 
  best-organized 
  

   human 
  communitj^; 
  but 
  the 
  insect 
  society 
  can 
  never 
  evolve 
  to 
  any- 
  

   thing 
  higher 
  than 
  a 
  more 
  perfect 
  beehive 
  or 
  a 
  more 
  perfect 
  ant 
  hill, 
  

   except 
  through 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  individuality, 
  and 
  individuality 
  

   can 
  not 
  go 
  far 
  in 
  a 
  strictly 
  communal 
  society. 
  It 
  is 
  surprising, 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  to 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  individual 
  action 
  is 
  best 
  developed 
  

   among 
  insects 
  in 
  those 
  very 
  species 
  that 
  live 
  a 
  community 
  life, 
  such 
  as 
  

   the 
  ants 
  and 
  the 
  social 
  bees 
  and 
  wasps. 
  The 
  explanation 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  

   higher 
  faculties 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  vvere 
  developed 
  first, 
  and 
  made 
  com- 
  

   munal 
  life 
  possible. 
  

  

  It 
  appears 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  inadvertently 
  encountered 
  the 
  other 
  phase 
  

   of 
  animal 
  behavior, 
  already 
  mentioned, 
  before 
  taking 
  it 
  up 
  in 
  logical 
  

   sequence. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  to 
  adjust 
  its 
  actions 
  to 
  

   whatever 
  condition 
  it 
  encounters, 
  the 
  faculty 
  ordinarily 
  called 
  " 
  in- 
  

   telligence," 
  and 
  which 
  vv'e 
  have 
  assumed, 
  for 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  argument, 
  

   is 
  operative 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  consciousness. 
  Bees, 
  for 
  example, 
  can 
  dis- 
  

   tinguish 
  differences 
  of 
  color, 
  of 
  odor, 
  of 
  form, 
  and 
  of 
  position 
  in 
  

   objects; 
  they 
  can 
  learn 
  to 
  associate 
  one 
  object 
  with 
  another, 
  and 
  to 
  

   associate 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  food 
  with 
  colors 
  and 
  odors, 
  and 
  they 
  can 
  

   remember 
  these 
  associations 
  and 
  act 
  accordingly 
  the 
  next 
  time 
  they 
  

   are 
  encountered. 
  But 
  all 
  these 
  faculties 
  in 
  bees, 
  and 
  the 
  similar 
  facul- 
  

  

  