﻿47.— 
  THE 
  PRACTICAL 
  APPLICATION 
  OF 
  INSECT 
  PSYCHOLOGY. 
  

  

  By 
  {the 
  late) 
  F. 
  M. 
  Howlett, 
  B.A., 
  F.E.S. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  generally 
  accepted 
  that 
  our 
  mental 
  outlook 
  depends 
  upon 
  our 
  

   physical 
  outlook, 
  using 
  the 
  expression 
  in 
  the 
  widest 
  sense 
  as 
  meaning 
  

   the 
  degree 
  to 
  which 
  we 
  ar6 
  in 
  touch 
  v/ith 
  the 
  various 
  aspects 
  of 
  the 
  

   Universe 
  as 
  revealed 
  by 
  our 
  different 
  senses. 
  We 
  can, 
  it 
  is 
  true, 
  form 
  

   concepts 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  abstract 
  nature, 
  but 
  they 
  are, 
  practically 
  always, 
  

   based 
  ultimately 
  on 
  perception, 
  and 
  the 
  concepts 
  which 
  any 
  

   one 
  of 
  us 
  may 
  form 
  are 
  limited 
  by 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  our 
  past 
  experiences 
  

   in 
  the 
  realm 
  of 
  perception, 
  which 
  in 
  their 
  turn 
  are 
  limited 
  by 
  the 
  extent 
  

   to 
  which 
  our 
  perceptive 
  mechanism 
  is 
  itself 
  developed, 
  from 
  birth 
  or 
  

   by 
  practice, 
  in 
  particular 
  directions. 
  In 
  our 
  own 
  case 
  the 
  sense 
  of 
  

   sight 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  highly 
  developed 
  and 
  most 
  largely 
  influences 
  our 
  

   conception 
  of 
  the 
  things 
  around 
  us. 
  We 
  cannot 
  of 
  course 
  infer 
  from 
  

   this 
  that 
  a 
  similar 
  state 
  of 
  things 
  exists 
  in 
  insects, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  un- 
  

   likely 
  that 
  sight 
  is 
  as 
  generally 
  im.portant 
  to 
  them 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  us. 
  Whether 
  

   or 
  no 
  an 
  insect 
  can 
  form 
  anything 
  in 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  a 
  concept 
  is 
  for 
  our 
  

   present 
  purpose 
  immaterial. 
  It 
  will 
  in 
  any 
  case 
  be 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  

   nature 
  and 
  delicacy 
  of 
  its 
  different 
  senses 
  will 
  determine 
  the 
  mode 
  in 
  

   which 
  an 
  insect 
  is 
  aware 
  of 
  its 
  environment, 
  and 
  will 
  therefore 
  determine 
  

   the 
  character 
  of 
  its 
  movements 
  and 
  activities 
  in 
  general. 
  The 
  senses 
  

   of 
  insects 
  seem 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  probably 
  not 
  dissimilar 
  in 
  kind 
  

   from 
  our 
  own, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  probable 
  that 
  they 
  often 
  vary 
  widely 
  from 
  

   ours 
  in 
  the 
  relative 
  extent 
  to 
  which 
  each 
  is 
  developed. 
  

  

  The 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  relative 
  degree 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  different 
  senses 
  

   direct 
  the 
  activities 
  of 
  insects, 
  particularly 
  " 
  economic 
  " 
  insects, 
  is 
  a 
  

   matter 
  of 
  prime 
  importance 
  to 
  which 
  surprisingly 
  little 
  attention 
  has 
  

   hitherto 
  been 
  paid. 
  On 
  it 
  must 
  depend 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  future 
  improve- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  our 
  present 
  somewhat 
  crude 
  methods 
  of 
  controlling 
  agricul- 
  

   tural 
  pests 
  and 
  disease-carrying 
  insects. 
  It 
  is 
  these 
  potentialities 
  for 
  

   improvement 
  on 
  which 
  I 
  desire 
  to 
  lay 
  particular 
  stress. 
  Various 
  observ- 
  

   ations 
  of 
  my 
  own, 
  confirmed 
  by 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  such 
  well-known 
  entomolo- 
  

   gists 
  as 
  Forel 
  and 
  Dewitz, 
  have 
  led 
  me 
  to 
  adopt 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  insect 
  psycho- 
  

   logy 
  which 
  was 
  expressed 
  as 
  follows 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  read 
  at 
  the 
  Malaria 
  

   Conference 
  in 
  Madras 
  in 
  1912 
  :— 
  " 
  We 
  nvast 
  in 
  fact 
  regard 
  the 
  insect 
  

   not 
  as 
  an 
  independent 
  intelligence 
  consciously 
  shaping 
  a 
  path 
  through 
  

   life, 
  still 
  less 
  as 
  an 
  individual 
  actuated 
  by 
  motives 
  similar 
  in 
  kind 
  to 
  

   our 
  own, 
  but 
  as 
  a 
  being 
  in 
  a 
  sort, 
  of 
  active 
  hypnotic 
  trance. 
  The 
  main 
  

  

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