WILD LIFE IN CALIFORNIA 



105 



clearly a recognition of the meaning of the 

 notes of alarm and calls for help. 



The cries of distress possibly may not arise 

 from any consciousness of feeling of pain or 

 alarm but be wholly instinctive manifestations 

 incited by the conditions. We have no way 

 of determining, but those of us who are in- 

 clined to attribute to the lower forms of life 

 some degree of rationality or brainpower and 

 consciousness of being that exists in humans, 

 are apt to have our sympathies excited, feeling 

 that the signals are something more than 

 simple instinctive utterances by creatures 

 endowed with life but without consciousness. 

 And when we come to consider the feature 

 of recognition of the meaning or significance 

 of the cries of distress by other animals and 

 birds are we not justified in assuming that 

 there is less room for difference of opinion? 

 Does not the word "recognition" as used here 

 imply mental action — a consciousness of 

 something unusual taking place — a sufficient 

 power of reasoning to interpret the sounds of 

 distress? And are not the frequent responsive 

 actions manifestations of emotion, affection, 

 sympathy or curiosity, which could only be 

 the result of brain action, involving a show of a 

 certain amount of intellectuality, reasoning 

 and judgment? 



More than likely opponents would declare 

 in response to these queries, that they were 

 only "instinctive actions," but when we know 

 that instinctive action is involuntary, an im- 

 pulse that must find expression in the same 

 way under the same conditions < we find the 

 answer incomplete in explaining or accounting 

 for the varied actions of various animals or 

 birds in responding to sounds of distress. In 

 some instances the responders will attack the 

 cause, some bravely and others with less show 

 of courage, then again some will refrain from 

 attack if the cause is of a character that might 

 endanger their welfare. Here we have an 

 imitation of some of the peculiarities or 

 variation in human character, bravery, pru- 

 dence and cowardice. It may be said these 

 traits are instinctive. Admitted that some 

 men may be instinctively brave, others in- 

 stinctively prudent or cowardly — that is, the 

 primary impulse to the manifestation of such 

 traits of character, but the actions following 

 which vary according to conditions must be 

 directed by mind power, indicating rationality. 

 Unquestionably instinct plays a great part in 

 the actions of all forms of animal life and 

 greater in proportion as we descend the scale 

 of life; and in an action prompted by an 

 involuntary impulse (instinct) which ends in 

 some manifestation directed by reason it may 

 be difficult to determine where the former 

 ceased and the latter began, but the fact does 

 not seem to justify the assumption of total 

 absence of consciousness or reason. 



Prof. Kellogg in his interesting book, 

 American Insects, asks the question: "Do the 

 termite or white ant, individuals of a com- 

 munity communicate with each other, or is 

 the whole life of the colony so inexorably 

 ruled by instinct that each individual works 

 out its part without personal reference to any 

 other individual, although with actual refer- 



ence to all the other members of the colony?" 

 Without directly answering the question he 

 says: "It is pretty certain that termites have 

 a means of communicating by sounds, that the 

 existence of a tympanal auditory organ in the 

 tibiae of the front leg has been shown." If it 

 is established that these insects actually com- 

 municate with each other, and their actions 

 seem to indicate that they do, would not such 

 fact imply the possession of a power beyond 

 that of instinct — a degree of rationality — ability 

 to reason? If ruled by instinct alone there 

 would be no occasion to communicate with 

 each other. Each individual would work out 

 its part during life in the colony without en- 

 gaging in any communication. 



Much has been written in the way of re- 

 cording incidents of apparent communication 

 between animals as well as between birds and 

 also insects. With the exception of some in- 

 stances where I have noticed dogs acting as 

 if information had passed from one to the 

 other. I am unable to contribute any incident 

 or fact from personal observation that would 

 tend to sustain the contention, other than 

 that which might be derived from the illus- 

 tration of the effect of cries of distress. 

 Nevertheless while I think some of the stories 

 are based more on imagination than war- 

 ranted by facts, I am inclined to the belief 

 that there is truth in some of the observa- 

 tions, and that individuals in the lower orders 

 of life where necessary and useful in carrying 

 out their part in the order of things, have 

 some way of communicating one with another. 

 For the purpose of this discussion it is im- 

 material what the means of communications 

 might be. whether the agency be touch, sound 

 or something else. All we want to know is 

 that individuals are influenced to acts by the 

 sounds uttered or by actions of other indi- 

 viduals. This would establish the possession 

 of communicative power which signifies the 

 existence of some degree of mentality. 



It is no more than speculation to assume 

 that the lower forms of life in carrying out the 

 parts nature planned for their existence a»« 

 wholly under the guidance of instinct. This as- 

 sumption must be based on man's experience 

 in involuntary actions, impulsive acts without 

 distinct apprehension of the end or the object. 

 In other words, it is known from human ex- 

 periences that at times man acts instinctively, 

 therefore it is assumed that the acts of ani- 

 mals must be instinctive. The assumption 

 would be more logical if it were not attempted 

 to make instinct the sole guidance. In fact 

 it must be admitted that it is impossible to 

 account for some of the wonderful actions of 

 numerous beings, especially those well down 

 in the scale of animal life, without attributing 

 instinct as the motive power. 



It is not unreasonable to suggest the pos- 

 sibility that animal instinct might be some- 

 thing deeper and broader in 5ts scope than the 

 instinct manifested by humans. Certainly ani- 

 mal life, more particularly as the scale is de- 

 scended, has greater need for it. We know that 

 in comparison many forms of lower life are 

 endowed with the senses of sight, smell, hear- 

 ing and touch, so far superior to anything 



