68 Ifistinct. 



But we believe it can be shown that there are 

 many acts performed by sentient beings, that, as 

 means to ends, are the perfection of wisdom, while 

 there is no comprehension on the part of the actor 

 of the end to be reached, or of his act as a means 

 to secure the end. Such acts are truly instinctive 

 according to the substance of the definitions we 

 have quoted ; or better still, according to the pop- 

 ular meaning of the word instinctive. Take for 

 one single illustration, the Tent-moth, that is so in- 

 jurious to our apple trees. There is not one of them 

 alive in New England this winter month. But prob- 

 ably it would not be difficult to find a bunch of its 

 eggs glued to an apple twig. And when the young 

 leaves begin to expand, a brood of young caterpil- 

 lars will be ready to feed upon them. They will 

 v/ork together and spin a web or tent for their con- 

 venience, making it larger as they need more room. 

 And when their feeding days are over, they will de- 

 sert the web and each finding a secure place will 

 prepare a cocoon for transformation. All the work 

 of the colony goes on as regularly and with the 

 same certainty in its methods and results as the 

 growing of the leaves, or flowers, or apples upon 

 the tree where it is found. There is no instructor 

 of the young brood, for all the parent moths died 

 the year before. They have no chance to copy. 

 They have impulse and guidance, and do just what 

 it is best for them to do for their own good and to 

 continue the species. They do this without expe- 

 rience and without instruction, and all colonies do 

 exactly the same thing. These are the acts of wis- 



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