44 Instinct, 



elements together, gathers the minerals into veins, 

 holds the continents in place, the mountains on 

 their rocky thrones, and by its varying strength 

 gives the different forms of matter upon the globe. 

 Chemical affinity, with a magician's power, joins dif- 

 ferent elements to produce unnumbered products, 

 and prepare the way for life. Life itself, known 

 only in the development of some germ, answers to 

 the call of the forces below it, and then in turn 

 makes them its servants, till sensation is introduced. 

 From sensation we have a whole train of reflex ac- 

 tions and the craving of the appetites that tend to 

 preserve the organism but are involuntary in their 

 action. Then one step higher we have acts which 

 arise from spontaneous impulse, that are always de- 

 pendent upon volition, and involve skill and adapta- 

 tion of means to ends, but are apparently performed 

 without any comprehension of the end, by the 

 actor. One step higher still we have acts that 

 originate from some spontaneous impulse but are 

 plainly modified by some consideration of the end 

 or some comprehension of the results. All of these 

 classes of acts man can see below him. And these 

 three classes of acts have been strangely mingled 

 together in treating of Instinct. It is not strange 

 therefore that there have been disagreement and 

 confusion. 



Most authors have started with some definition 

 of Instinct like those given, and then have joined 

 with it the assertion that the lower animals have 

 no Intelligence. It is no wonder that they have 

 found difficulty in drawing the dividing line be- 



