122 Vuiversity of California Puhlications in Zoology. ["^^ol. 4 



each other. But soon the correction takes place, in that the at- 

 tached feet stop those that are disturbing the turning, and the 



Avrongly twisted radii straighten out again The variability 



of form in starfish that are righting themselves is great, and no 



species rights itself in only one way But here, too, it is 



true that no Astyopedcn rights itself twice in succession in ex- 

 actly the same way. An adaptation to the surface of attachment 

 always occurs, and according as this is convex, concave, smooth, 

 rough or inclined, is the turning process made easier or more 

 difficult, and brought about in this manner or that." (Preyer. 

 1886, pp. 107-108). 



Thus, according to these accounts, we have in this reaction 

 complicated behavior, with the different organs acting in a co- 

 ordinated way, some being active, while others refrain from 

 activity, — and the whole not stereotyped, but extremely variable. 

 — reaching the end of righting the animal in varied ways. 

 Driesch (1903) has well emphasized the interesting character of 

 this reaction and the importance of considering it carefully in) 

 forming our views of behavior in general. It will be well to give 

 a brief outline of Driesch 's views. He points out that such be- 

 havior is not made intelligible by the simple factors that have 

 in many cases been set forth for explaining the behavior of 

 the lower organisms. Particular significance is seen in the facts 

 that (1) different parts of the body play different coordinated 

 roles in bringing about the righting, some being active, while 

 others refrain from activity, and (2) that the roles of the dif- 

 ferent parts are variable, but so accommodated to each other as 

 to accomplish a unified result. On the basis mainly of these 

 facts Driesch founds for such behavior the concept of "free- 

 combination," contrasting it with the stereotyped course of re- 

 flexes and instincts. Such "freely-combined" behavior Driesch 

 considers as at least a transitional stage toward that seen in the 

 complicated "actions" or "conduct" ("Handlungen") of 

 higher animals and men. Furthermore, for such "Handlungen" 

 Driesch believes that an analysis into factors of the same sort as 

 we find in inorganic processes is impossible. lie holds that an 

 unanalyzable entity which he calls a "psychoid" or "entelechy" 

 in some wav controls the behavior in the interests of the organism 



