312 Animal Life and Intelligence. 



A much closer analogy is this : Something stands 

 without and knocks at the doorway of sense, and from the 

 nature of the knocks we learn somewhat concerning that 

 which knocks. In other words, at the bidding of certain 

 stimuli from without we construct that mental product 

 which we call the object of sense. It is of these mental 

 constructions — *' constructs" * I will call them for con- 

 venience — that I have now to speak. 



In a fruiterer's shop on the opposite side of a street I 

 see an orange. That is to say, certain cones of the retina 

 of my eye are stimulated by light-waves of a yellow quality, 

 and at the bidding of these stimuli I construct the object 

 which I call an orange. That object is distant, roundish, 

 yellow, resisting and yet somewhat soft, with a peculiar 

 smell, and possessed of a taste of its own. Now, it is 

 obvious that I cannot see all these qualities of the orange, 

 as we call them. I construct the object on reception of 

 certain light- waves which are focussed on the retina of my 

 eye. If I go to the orange, however, I can test the correct- 

 ness of my construct by the senses of touch, smell, and 

 taste. But what led nje to construct an object with these 

 qualities ? Experience has taught me that these qualities 

 are grouped together in special ways in an orange. I 

 constructed that particular object through what is termed 

 the principle of association. I have learnt that these 

 qualities are grouped together in certain relations to each 

 other, and when I actually receive sight-stimuli of a certain 

 quality, grouped in certain ways, they immediately call up 

 the memories of the associated qualities. That which is 

 actually received is a mere suggestion, the rest is sug- 

 gested in memory through association. The object might 

 be suggested through other senses. I come into a dining- 

 room after dessert, and the object is suggested through 

 smell. Or my little son says, " Open your mouth and 

 shut your eyes, and see what the fairies will send you ; " 

 and an orange is suggested by taste. In all these cases 



* I use this term because the word "percept " is used in diflFerent senses by 

 different writers, e.g. by Mr. Mivart and Mr. Romanes. 



