ANIMAL AND RATIONAL INTELLIGENCE 169 



It is scientifically assured that sensori-motor func 

 tions are not functions of intelligence. Intelli 

 gence is at least the power of discrimination which 

 interprets sensible differences. Recognising this 

 contrast between organic sensibility and intelligent 

 discrimination, we seek a careful classification of data 

 on which theoretic discussion may proceed. 



Believing that Darwin was correct in limiting his 

 object to showing that possession of intelligence must 

 be predicated of the higher mammals as well as of 

 man. I take it as a correlative position that intelli 

 gence, as here defined, cannot be attributed to lower 

 organic life. The implications of this position must, 

 however, be clearly recognised. It follows from this 

 that evidence is not available to sustain the conclusion 

 that fishes and amphibians manifest intelligence. On 

 the other hand, reference to the wonderful phenomena 

 of insect life shows that greater powers of sensory 

 discrimination belong to insects than to fishes and 

 amphibians ; or even to the higher mammals. In 

 view of these differences, either there are tw r o distinct 

 bases for classification of life supplied by sensory 

 discrimination and by intelligence, or we must assign 

 a higher intelligence to insects than to the higher 

 mammalia. The difficulty here must be deliberately 

 met. A scientific account of the appearance of 

 intelligence in the Avorld s history, depends on what is 

 to be said of the Insects. Has intelligence made its 

 appearance at this low point in the scale of organic 

 life ? Does it appear where we have a brain weighing 

 a fraction of a millogramme ; or was Darwin correct 

 in bringing the whole discussion to a possession be 

 longing exclusively to man and the higher mammalia ? 



