EXAMINATION OF THE THEORIES OF OTHER WRITERS. 263 



origin is a hopeless attempt at making a valid explanation of 

 one thing a satisfactory explanation of another. 



Eecognizing, then, in the light of all the foregoing facts, 

 both the principles which are concerned in the development 

 of instincts, I shall now pass on to state the opinion of Mr. 

 Darwin. 



In the " Origin of Species " he writes (pp. 206-7), " If 

 we suppose any liabitual action to become inherited — and it 

 can be shown that this does sometimes happen — then the 

 resemblance between what originally was a habit and an 

 instinct becomes so close as not to be distinguished. If 

 Mozart, instead of playing the pianoforte at three years old 

 with wonderfully little practice, had played a tune with no 

 practice at all, he might truly be said to have done so instinc- 

 tively.* But it would be a serious error to suppose that the 

 greater number of instincts have been acquired by habit in 

 one generation, and then transmitted by inheritance to suc- 

 ceeding generations. It can be clearly shown that the most 

 w^onderful instincts with which w^e are acquainted, namely, 

 those of the hive-bee and of many ants, could not possibly 

 have been acquired by habit. 



" It will be universally admitted that instincts are as 

 important as corporeal structures for the welfare of each 

 species, under its present conditions of life. Under changed 

 conditions of life, it is at least possible that slight modifica- 

 tions of instinct might be profitable to a species ; and if it 

 can be shown that instincts do vary ever so little, then I can 

 see no difficulty in natural selection preserving and continu- 

 ally accumulating variations of instinct to any extent that 

 was profitable. It is thus, I believe, that all the more com- 

 plex and wonderful instincts have originated. As modifica- 

 tions of corporeal structures arise from, and are increased by, 

 use or habit, and are diminished or lost by disuse, so I do 

 not doubt it has been with instincts. But I believe that the 

 effects of habit are in many cases of subordinate importance 

 to the effects of natural selection of what may be called 

 spontaneous variations of instincts ; — that is of variations 



* From this it will be observed that by tlie plirases " iulieritecl habit," 

 " habitual actions becoming inherited," &c., Mr. Darwin means to allude to 

 the principle of lapsing intelligence. This must be borne in mind while 

 reading these quotations, where '' habit " is always used in the sense of intelli- 

 gent adjustment which has become partly automatic in tlie individual. 



