126 THE RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 



formation of new instincts, just as the divergence of 

 morphological character gives rise to new species. 



Darwin's theory of instinct is now accepted by 

 most biologists ; Eomanes has treated it so ably, and 

 so greatly expanded it in his distinguished work on 

 Mental Evolution in the Animal World, that I need 

 merely refer to it here. I will only venture the brief 

 statement that, in my opinion, there are instincts in 

 all organisms — in all the protists and plants as well 

 as in all the animals and in man ; though in the latter 

 they tend to disappear in proportion as reason makes 

 progress at their expense. 



The two chief classes of instincts to be differentiated 

 are the primary and the secondary. Primary instincts 

 are the common lower impulses which are unconscious 

 and inherent in the psychoplasm from the commence- 

 ment of organic life ; especially the impulses to self- 

 preservation (by defence and maintenance) and to the 

 preservation of the species (by generation and the 

 care of the young). Both these fundamental instincts 

 of organic life, hunger and love, sprang up originally 

 in perfect unconsciousness, without any co-operation 

 of the intellect or reason. It is otherwise with the 

 secondary instincts. These were due originally to an 

 intelligent adaptation, to rational thought and resolu- 

 tion, and to purposive conscious action. Gradually, 

 however, they became so automatic that this " other 

 nature " acted unconsciously, and, even through the 

 action of heredity, seemed to be "innate" in subse- 

 quent generations. The consciousness and deliberation 

 which originally accompanied these particular instincts 

 of the higher animals and man have died away in the 

 course of the life of the plastidules (as in " abridged 

 heredity"). The unconscious purposive actions of 



