CHAP. X 



Instinct 



165 



birds teach their fledghngs to fly, and ants their young their 

 place in the community of the nest, and that animals imi- 

 tate each other, it is quite possible, and indeed probable, 

 that an instinct may be steadily improved throughout suc- 







Fig. 32. — Young ducks catching moths. (From St. John's Wild SporU.) 



cessive generations by the intelligence of the individuals of 

 a species, without any acquired character being inherited. 



The possible factors in the evolution of instinct are 

 therefore — 



(i) Natural Selection, which might develop innate 

 capacity ; this is certainly insufificient for the 

 development of form, and therefore, probably, also 

 of mind. 



