214 LESSONS FROM NATURE. [CHAP. VII. 



course, mean to deny that the dog is superior in mental 

 activity to the fish, or the jackdaw to the toad. What is 

 meant is that, considering the vast period of time that must 

 have elapsed (on Mr. Darwin s theory) for the evolution of 

 an Orang from an Ascidian, and considering how beneficial 

 increased intelligence must be to all in the struggle for life, 

 it is inconceivable, on Mr. Darwin s principles only, that a 

 mental advance should not have taken place greater in degree, 

 more generally diffused, and more in proportion to the grade 

 of the various animals than we find to be actually the case. 

 For in what respect is the intelligence of the ape superior to 

 that of the dog or of the elephant? An absurd over-esti 

 mate of the psychical qualities of apes is common enough. 

 But with respect to them the mistake is natural, seeing that 

 their resemblance to us in bodily form gives a deceptive 

 appearance to actions and tricks which, but for this resem 

 blance, would excite no very special notice. Yet in fact, 

 as to apes, it cannot be said that there is one point in which 

 their psychical nature approximates to man more than that 

 of those of four-footed beasts. But, again, where is the great 

 superiority of a dog or an ape over a bird ? The falcon 

 trained to hawking is at least as remarkable an instance 

 of the power of education as the trained dog. The tricks 

 which birds can be taught to perform are as complex and 

 wonderful as those acted by the mammal. The phenomena 

 of nidification, and some of those now brought forward by 

 Mr. Darwin as to courtship, are fully comparable with 

 analogous phenomena of quasi- intelligence in any beast. 



This, however, is but a small part of the argument. For 

 let us descend to the Invertebrata, and what do we find ? 

 a restriction of their quasi-mental faculties proportioned to 

 their constantly inferior type of structure ? By no means. 

 We find, e.g., in ants, phenomena which simulate those of 

 an intelligence such as ours far more than do any pheno 

 mena exhibited by the highest beasts. Ants display a 

 complete and complex political organization, classes of beings 

 socially distinct, war resulting in the capture of slaves, and 



