140 Chapter VII. 



explain the so-called "unity of the sensitive conscious- 

 ness" in animals. 



We have seen that a uniform, critical standard in 

 comparative animal psychology exists, and must exist 

 in spite of the anatomical difference between the sense 

 organs and the nervous systems of ants and of the 

 higher vertebrates. The development of the organs 

 of sense perception and of the central nervous system 

 in ants is such, that it can well stand the comparison 

 with the development of the sense organs in mammals. 

 The sense perceptions of ants are true arid proper sense 

 perceptions, no less than those of dogs, monkeys and 

 even of man. Furthermore, the relative perfection of 

 the principal parts of the central nervous system of ants 

 is well proportioned to a highly developed interior sen- 

 sitive power of perception. Indeed from an anatomical 

 point of view the latter may be inferred with certainty. 

 And as this sensitive power of perception is nothing 

 else than the mis-named "intelligence" of modern ani- 

 mal psychology, we have given the proof, that no solid 

 argument can be advanced from an anatomical stand- 

 point against a comparison of ant-intelligence with mon- 

 key, or even with human intelligence. If any of our 

 modern opponents succeed in proving that the anatom- 

 ical structure of the ant-brain a priori excludes all 

 intelligence in the true sense of the term, we would be 

 deeply indebted to him. Meanwhile we are convinced 

 that such a proof is impossible. The question whether 

 ants have intelligence or not, is, and finally ever will be 

 a psychological and not an anatomical question. For its 

 legitimate solution we may and must even apply the 

 same standard of a critical psychological analysis, as foi 



