Nervous Energy and Brain 93 



chosen a spot the scouts return and conduct the 

 swarm to the place they have selected, showing 

 not only a memory of places, but also remark- 

 able instinctive power, if not intelligent action, 

 in their movements. 



From this series of observations and experi- 

 ments it is evident that the purposive move- 

 ments of insects are brought into play by 

 means of external and internal modes of energy 

 passing through the various sensory organs to 

 corresponding nervous centres constituted of 

 cells, a part of whose living matter contains 

 purposive and mnemic elements. We also 

 learn that automatic processes effected by a 

 system of this kind are sufficient to maintain the 

 existence and reproduction not only of insects, 

 but of the whole kingdom of Invertebrates. It 

 has been shown that the behaviour of this vast 

 mass of the lower orders of animals is con- 

 trolled by instinctive action. 



