EMOTIONS 69 



A certain number of days determines the life of a 

 caterpillar between its emergence from the egg 

 and the spinning of its cocoon. Many migratory 

 birds are extraordinarily punctual in the dates of 

 their departure, and cannot be tempted to out- 

 stay them by however genial weather. A newly 

 hatched chicken will attach itself to the first 

 creature that comes into its impressions, be it a 

 hen, a dog, or a man ; but if it be kept isolated 

 until some days have passed, it will fly in terror 

 from its own mother. Certain sexual affections 

 are periodic in their occurrence : the sexual 

 instinct declines with advancing years. Life is 

 itself an illustration of timing : however cherished, 

 it can endure only for an appointed period. 



The liberation of an impulsive instinct is some- 

 times accompanied by an emotion which brings 

 its action before the observation of consciousness. 

 We are impelled to run from a terrifying object: at 

 the same time we experience an emotion of fear. 

 But there may be impulses without emotion. We are 

 quite unconscious of those which order the function- 

 ing of our internal organs, and we are also uncon- 

 scious of the impulses which underlie such ideo- 

 motor actions as speaking, eating, or walking. These 

 do not affect the brain. Impulses are emotional 

 only when they touch the brain. We are con- 

 sciously impelled to strike an aggressor : we have 

 a feeling of anger which makes us aware of the 

 impulse. This statement may appear to invert 

 the order of events ; according to common judg- 

 ment the feeling of anger develops before the 

 impulse to strike is, in fact, the cause of the 

 latter. But this impression is incorrect. If 

 ^suddenly attacked we strike out automatically, 

 and the emotion of anger does not arise until we 



