The Destiny of Man. 39 



there is nothing to be learned. These ac- 

 tions, though they are performed by the 

 nervous system, we do not class as psychi- 

 cal, because they are nearly or quite un- 

 attended by consciousness. The psychical 

 life of the lowest animals consists of a few 

 simple acts directed toward the securing 

 of food and the avoidance of danger, and 

 these acts we are in the habit of classing 

 as instinctive. They are so simple, so 

 few, and so often repeated, that the ten- 

 dency to perform them is completely or- 

 ganized in the nervous system before 

 birth. The animal takes care of himself 

 as soon as he begins to live. He has 

 nothing to learn, and his career is a sim- 

 ple repetition of the careers of countless 

 ancestors. With him heredity is every- 

 thing, and his individual experience is 

 next to nothing. 



As we ascend the animal scale till we 

 come to the higher birds and mammals, 

 we find a very interesting and remarkable 

 change beginning. The general increase 



