144 Chapter IV. 



plants. The new being comes into existence already 

 fully endowed with the power of subsistence according 

 to the laws of merely vegetative nature, whether it be 

 separated from the mother-organism, or remain united 

 with it as a new part of a polyzoal colony. Here, 

 therefore, it would be altogether useless to possess 

 breeding instincts for the propagation of the species. 

 Even among such animals as propagate through 

 sexual generation, we meet with breeding instincts 

 only where they are required for the preservation of 

 the species; and the parents care for their off- 

 spring only in as far as it is necessary for that purpose. 

 Within these limits, however, we find a wonderful 

 adaptation of means to the end, and at times a mar- 

 velous sagacity of animal instinct, which appears 

 nowhere else to such advantage. 



But also nowhere else in the whole animal psy- 

 chology are manifested so palpably the impotence of 

 so-called animal intelligence and the unsoundness of 

 the modern tendency of humanizing animal life. How 

 should the ephemera know by her ''own intelligence," 

 that she may without any apprehension drop her eggs 

 into the water ? Does she perhaps still remember, that 

 her "mother" once upon a time dropped her also into 

 the water as an ^gg"^ Or has she perhaps by the 

 study of zoology gained the knowledge that ephemeras 

 need no hatching? According to Brehm's psychology 

 we ought to give the ephemera a thorough scolding 

 for showing so little motherly love towards her dear 

 offspring and for not caring for their welfare. But 

 scientifically speaking, such a scolding is as nonsen- 

 sical as if we were to blame an oak tree for bearing 



