MAMMALS 63 



spirit of invention has devised many other kinds of 

 games for man's recreation after fatigue, and to give 

 him pleasure. 



But is it true that recreation is the essence of play ? 

 Will not the soldier, who has been following the most 

 fatiguing exercises all day long, turn away from play, 

 and prefer to refresh his tired frame with sleep? At 

 all events, he will not indulge in physical games. At 

 the most he may join in a game of cards. 



We see from this instance that in many cases it is 

 not the whole man, body and soul, that needs recreation, 

 but only one of the two elements. The mathematician, 

 who has been engaged all day in most exacting mental 

 work, seeks to rest his tired brain in the evening. But 

 during the whole of the day he has felt a twitching of 

 the limbs ; his muscular energy has been resting and 

 accumulating, and now impels him to bodily exercise. 

 If, therefore, we want to understand the meaning of 

 play, we must recognise the accumulation of energy as 

 the first cause of it, rather than the craving for recrea- 

 tion. This will become perfectly clear if we think of the 

 games of children, which are the basis of all play. The 

 child certainly does not play because it has a craving 

 for recreation ; all its thoughts and actions have the 

 character of play. Nor would it be more correct to 

 say that puppies are seeking recreation when they run 

 and tumble about the whole day long. 



It is, therefore, we now believe, an accumulation of 

 energy that leads to play. Let us consider how this 

 comes about in the case of man. 



The accumulation of energy in man is brought about 



