132 Chapter III. 



following momentous reflections: "All the philos- 

 ophers together of ancient and modern times, and all 

 the theologians moreover, will not impose upon me 

 by asserting that we have to do here with the action 

 of an unreasonable creature. If this is instinct, then 

 the invention of the steam-engine is instinct, too ! No, 

 both mean a clever profiting by given circumstances, 

 due to reflection !" 



Many an unwary reader may, possibly, be over- 

 whelmed by this spirited appeal to the steam-engine 

 on the part of Marshall. However, if we do not allow 

 ourselves to be imposed upon by the boldness of his 

 oratorical flight, we shall arrive at different results, 

 without being exactly philosophers or theologians. 

 We can observe any day, that on the part of the ants 

 ill-smelling or sticky objects are simply covered with 

 earth, if they cannot be removed from the nest. 

 Nobody will be inclined to maintain seriously, that 

 ants, by so doing, make use of any "intelligent gift of 

 invention' 5 transcending their power of instinct. Out- 

 side of their nests also, and governed by the same 

 instinct, they occasionally adopt the same procedure. 

 Now, in the above mentioned case the ants found, that 

 the road which led them to their aphides on the tree, 

 had been covered with an ill-smelling, sticky substance. 

 What was more natural than to fetch pellets of earth 

 and to clear a passage by a method so familiar to their 

 instinct? Hence, we are justified in drawing the fol- 

 lowing conclusion: That by this pretended "bridge- 

 building" these ants have given infallible evidence of 

 reflection, inventive genius, and intelligence, is a state- 

 ment worthy only of popular, uncritical psychology. 



