Address to the British Association 205 



But its accurate investigation is attended with special 

 difficulties, and amongst them are two temptations, which 

 are apt to beset the inquirer : — 



(1) The first of these arises from the widespread love for 

 the marvellous, of whatsoever kind, and the tendency to 

 inverted anthropomorphism. 



(2) The other is the temptation to strain or ignore facts 

 to serve a favourite theory. 



As to the former of these dangers, I may perhaps be per- 

 mitted to quote some remarks ^ made by Mr. Chambers, 

 approvingly cited by Professor Bain : ' There are two subjects 

 where the love of the marvellous has especially retarded 

 the progress of correct knowledge — the manners of foreign 



countries, and the instincts of the brute creation It is 



extremely difficult to obtain true observations' as to the 

 latter 'from the disposition to make them subjects of marvel 



and astonishment It is nearly as impossible to 



acquire a knowledge of animals from anecdotes as it would 

 be to obtain a knowledge of human nature from the narra- 

 tives of parental fondness and friendly partiality.' This I 

 believe to be most true, and that here the danger of mistak- 

 ing inference for observation is exceptionally great. The 

 inquirer ought not to accept as facts marvellous tales without 

 criticism and a careful endeavour to ascertain whether the 

 alleged facts are facts and not unconscious fiction. 



As to the second danger, the lamented George Henry 

 Lewes, whom no one can suspect of any hostiHty to Evolution 

 in its most extreme form, remarks (in his posthumous work ^ 

 just published) that the researches of various eminent writers 

 on animal psychology have been ' biassed by a secret desire 

 to establish the identity of animal and human nature,' and 

 certainly no one can deny that those who do assert that 



^ Before cited, see ante, vol. i. p. 435. 



- Problems of Life and Mind. Third Series, 1879, p. 122. 



