60 THE HUMANIZING OF THE BRUTE. 



comprehensive glance around and flew away." *) 

 We do not believe that Mr. Peckham's interpreta- 

 tion of the facts is warranted by what he actually saw. 

 The simple fact seems to be as follows: The pebble 

 happened to be somewhat larger than the other ma- 

 terial used in closing the nest. Anxious to fill up the 

 burrow as perfectly as possible the wasp made a num- 

 ber of attempts to press the pebble into the ground. 

 But all was in vain. The wasp did not succeed in 

 forcing the pebble into the ground, so that all would 

 be perfectly level. Hence after repeated trials she 

 abandoned the pebble altogether. The fact that the 

 wasp took up a pebble somewhat larger than usual is 

 not wonderful at all, since it often makes use of a 

 pebble of considerable size to deposit it into the lower 

 part of the newly made nest. Hence we are not dis- 

 posed to accept Peckham's claim that the wasp "im- 

 provised a tool and made intelligent use of it". 



We distinguish therefore two kinds of instinctive 

 actions, both proceeding from the self-same sensuous 

 cognition and appetency. But while the first group 

 springs directly from the inherited dispositions of the 

 agent's sensitive faculties, the second group implies a 

 modification of the actions through sense-experience. 

 We do not insist upon mere names; and if any one 

 prefers to introduce another phrase for designating in- 

 stinctive action modified by sense-experience, he may 

 do so. But no matter what term he may choose, the 

 word "intelligence" (that is rational intelligence) is 

 out of place, unless of course the word is taken in a 



*) 1. c., p. 22-23. There is a second fact recorded by Mr. 

 Williston, which is of a similar nature. 



