146 Instijict. 



to meet the conditions of the case, under all ordi- 

 nary circumstances. Therefore on the theory that 

 Beavers are guided by an Instinct that directs with- 

 out intelligent comprehension,on their part,of means 

 and ends, it is not strange that their houses grow 

 thicker and larger as they grow older ; and that 

 repairs and changes are made as the number of occu- 

 pants increase. The uniformity in the character 

 of their work, under similar conditions, is certainly 

 in favor of the theory of guidance by Instinct. 

 And the ver}'- complexity of the works, upon which 

 Mr. Morgan bases his argument for the high rank 

 of the beaver in free, self-conscious Intelligence, we 

 regard as an argument against it, because we have 

 complexity with such uniformity. In proving In- 

 telligence to be the controlling agency in contriving 

 and carrying out all these complex works, he 

 seems to prove too much. For if we refer all the 

 works of the Beaver to Intelligence, of the same 

 kind as man possesses, we must concede to him 

 abilities very nearly, if not quite equal to those of 

 man, for planning such works. For he would be a 

 wise man that, having only the Beaver's instruments 

 to work with, could do his work. In fact all his 

 works, that we do understand, we approve of as the 

 best that could be done, even by us, to reach the 

 same ends ; and he does some things that the wisest 

 man does not yet know how to do. There is com- 

 plexity and uniformity under similar conditions, 

 — variation in the work of the whole species when 

 the circumstances demand it, and yet under all these 

 conditions, a uniform method of adapting means to 



