282 THE SCIENCE OF POWER 



The common wild hare never makes a burrow in 

 its natural state. But when a young wild hare 

 was brought up with rabbits, which did not show 

 it the hostility which is usual between the species, 

 the young hare acquired from its companions the 

 habit of burrowing and would cast the earth ex- 

 cavated with forepaws backwards between its 

 hind legs exactly in the manner of a rabbit. 



When there was any physiological insufficiency in 

 the organs of an animal to prevent it from acquiring 

 or maintaining the habit usually imposed by social 

 heredity results of this kind did not follow. It was 

 found for instance that a diet of grains could not be 

 imposed by any effect of example on meat -eating 

 birds. But the striking fact which has to be 

 emphasized is that, where no natural physio- 

 logical insufficiency existed, the most unexpected 

 habits could easily be imposed on young animals by 

 example and training. And further, the habits so 

 imposed were found to be transmitted again to the 

 next generation through ordinary social heredity. 



Some grasp of the manner in which the elements 

 of social heredity are imposed on the young under 

 conditions of the strongest emotion, and some 

 perception of the extraordinary reach and strength 

 of the habits thus imposed, may be obtained from 

 the study of an example which exhibits the facts 



