Mistakes of Instifict. I'/y 



crystal of salt which is poison to her, and eats it, 

 mistaking it for the grain of quartz, that is neces- 

 sary to her, for the process of digestion. Here the 

 Instinct of eating gravel, which is very curious in 

 itself, is linked to a certain impression upon the 

 sense of sight. 



The whole process of cheating animals to cap- 

 ture them, depends upon the fact that the purely, 

 instinctive notions of the animal, arise from a certain 

 relation of external objects to its senses ; as truly 

 as those notions that may come to it in conse- 

 quence of experience. The sense of smell is the 

 occasion of mistake by the fly ; the sense of sight, 

 of mistake by the fowl, when she swallows salt in- 

 stead of gravel ; and she is deceived by the sense 

 of hearing, when she hides at the cry, like that of 

 the hawk, though the sound may be made by a 

 mocking-bird, or by man. These are only exam- 

 ples ; many of which will occur to every observer. 

 Those given are enough to show that Instinct does 

 not correct the senses, or render them more acute ; 

 but that instinctive acts, such as we have mention- 

 ed, always have a certain relation to the impres- 

 sions made upon the senses. Many of the mis- 

 takes of Instinct, so called, are the indications that 

 we have in many acts, especially among the higher 

 animals, something more than Instinct, — at least, a 

 limited range of that principle of Intelligence be- 

 longing peculiarly to man, which works out the 

 noblest results, but is liable to mistakes, until ren- 

 dered safe in its action by long experience. 



If Instinct is the controller of animal activity, 

 8* 



