THE SURPLUS ENERGY THEORY OP PLAY. 13 



points out that these important activities are instincts, 

 in particular destructive and robbing instincts. Thus 

 it is only necessary for him to modify his theory of imi- 

 tation to stand directly in the presence of the right con- 

 ception of play which lies so near his own. What form 

 would the theory of play take in this case? Something 

 like this: The activity of all living beings is in the high- 

 est degree influenced by hereditary instincts — that is, 

 the way an animal of a particular species controls his 

 members and uses his voice, the way he moves about in 

 his natural element, supplies himself with food, fights 

 with other animals, or avoids them — his manner of 

 doing all these things is governed fundamentally by in- 

 herited instincts. When, now, there is on the one hand 

 little demand for the serious activity of such instincts, 

 and, on the other hand, the reintegration of nerve en- 

 ergy so far surpasses its expenditure that the organism 

 requires some discharge of the accumulated supply of 

 force — and both conditions are likely to be the case in 

 youth * — then such instincts find expression even with- 

 out serious occasion. The kitten treats a scrap of paper 

 as its prey, the young bear wrestles with his brother, the 

 dog which after long confinement is set free hunts aim- 

 lessly about, etc. But such actions are exactly what we 

 mean by the word play.f 



Paul Souriau seems to occupy a position similar to 

 this in an interesting article \ where he advances the 

 following idea: There are various grounds for the pleas- 



* Also with animals in confinement. Spencer has specially 

 alluded to this. 



f Thus the imitative impulse appears as a special instinct re- 

 lated to the others. Concerning its significance 1 shall speak later. 



% Le plaisir du mouvement, Revue Scientifique, iii serie, tome 

 xvii, p. 365 ft L'esth^tique du mouvement, Paris, 1889, p. 11 ft*. 



