xviii THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 



to the psychologist. If the observation of animals is to be 

 rendered fruitful for the unsolved problems of anthro- 

 pology, an untried way must be entered upon ; attention 

 must be directed less to particular resemblances to man, 

 and more to specific animal characteristics. Hereby a 

 means may be found for the better understanding of the 

 animal part in man than can be attained through the 

 discussion of human examples alone. Man's animal na- 

 ture reveals itself in instinctive acts, and the latest in- 

 vestigators tell us that man has at least as many in- 

 stincts as the brutes have, though most of them have 

 become unrecognisable through the influence of edu- 

 cation and tradition. Therefore an accurate knowledge 

 of the animal world, where pure instinct is displayed, 

 is indispensable in weighing the importance of inherited 

 impulses in men. 



The number of investigators who have adopted this 

 method is not great, and I venture to hope that this 

 book may be in some degree influential in increasing 

 it, as well as respect for animal psychology as a science. 



The world of play, to which art belongs, stands in 

 most important and interesting contrast with the stern 

 realities of life; yet there are few scientific works in 

 the field of human play, and none at all in that of ani- 

 mal play — a fact to be accounted for, probably, by the 

 inherent difficulties of the subject, both objective and 

 subjective. The animal psychologist must harbour in 

 his breast not only two souls, but more; he must unite 

 with a thorough training in physiology, psychology, and 

 biology the experience of a traveller, the practical 

 knowledge of the director of a zoological garden, and x 

 the outdoor lore of a forester. And even then he 

 could not round up his labours satisfactorily unless he 

 were familiar with the trend of modern aesthetics. In- 



