52 ANIMAL INSTINCT AND INTELLIGENCE 



lowest animals; it is a case of interpreting the observed in terms 

 of the observer. The other and older view regards Man as the 

 only intelligent animal, all the others being simply living machines 

 worked by Instinct and Reflex Action. There has been in the 

 past a great dearth of patient unbiassed observation on living 

 animals, but the number of competent investigators is now 

 fortunately increasing, and the results already obtained clearly 

 point to the conclusion that extreme opinions in either direction 

 are inadmissible. 



The difference between Instinct and Intelligence may also be 

 realized by taking some metaphorical illustration. Let us then 

 compare the successful adjustments of an animal to its environ- 

 ment to the effective shots of a rifleman aiming at a series of 

 targets. And let us also suppose that a certain minimum score is 

 necessary for the maintenance of a bare existence, while marriage 

 is only permitted as the reward of a good score. The shooting 

 of such a rifleman would be comparable to the actions of an animal 

 actuated by pure Instinct, if he were provided with a series of 

 loaded rifles previously sighted and adjusted in such a way that 

 he would merely have to press the triggers to mechanically secure 

 a large number of points a sort of " you-press-the-button-and- 

 we -do -the- rest " arrangement. If the targets remained fixed the 

 privileges attached to success would be easily secured. But the 

 actions of life have to bring about adjustments to surroundings 

 which are constantly altering, and this may be represented in the 

 illustration by substituting moving targets for stationary ones. 

 The purely " instinctive rifleman" would do pretty well if his 

 targets moved but slightly, though bull's-eyes would be infrequent, 

 and his total would be smaller. But with increasing movement the 

 percentage of hits would dwindle till first of all the prize of matri- 

 mony would be denied him, and finally the score would be so 

 small that even bare existence would not be permitted. 



Our illustration can easily be modified to represent the gradual 

 replacement of Instinct by Intelligence. By endowing our im- 

 aginary rifleman with increasing capacity to adjust his rifles, so as 

 to secure a reasonable score with shifting targets, we make his 

 shooting more and more intelligent, less and less instinctive. And 

 were he simply given the loaded rifles, and left to learn the art of 

 marksmanship for himself, success would require a high degree of 

 intelligence. The loaded rifles would represent the gift of inheri- 



