INSTINCT. 429 



habitual. The peculiar form of excitement called bj Pro- 

 fessor Bain the emotion of pursuit, the pleasure of a cres- 

 cendc, is the soul of many common games. The immense 

 extent of the play-activities in human life is too obvious to 

 be more than mentioned.* 



Curiosity. Already pretty low down among vertebrates 

 we find that any object may excite attention, provided it be 

 only novel, and that attention may be followed by approach 

 and exploration by nostril, lips, or touch. Curiosity and 

 fear form a couple of antagonistic emotions liable to be 

 awakened by the same outward thing, and manifestly both 

 useful to their possessor. The spectacle of their alternation 

 is often amusing enough, as in the timid approaches and 

 scared wheelings which sheep or cattle will make in the 

 presence of some new object they are investigating. I have 

 seen alligators in the water act in precisely the same way 

 towards a man seated on the beach in front of them — grad- 

 ually draAving near as long as he kept still, frantically 

 careering back as soon as he made a movement. Inasmuch 

 as new objects may always be advantageous, it is better 

 that an animal should not absolutely fear them. But, inas- 

 much as they may also possibly be harmful, it is better 

 that he should not be quite indifferent to them either, but 

 on the whole remaining on the qui vive, ascertain as much 

 about them, and what they may be likely to bring forth, as 

 he can, before settling down to rest in their presence. 

 Some such susceptibility for being excited and irritated by 

 the mere novelty, as such, of any movable feature of the 

 environment must form the instinctive basis of all human 

 curiosity ; though, of course, the superstructure absorbs 

 contributions from so many other factors of the emotional 

 life that the original root may be hard to find. With what 



* Professor Lazarus (Die Reize des Spieles, Berlin, 1883, p. 44) denies 

 that we have an instinct to play, and says the root of the matter is the aver- 

 sion to remain iinoccupied, which substitutes a sham occupation when no 

 real one is ready. No doubt this is true; but why the particular forms of 

 sham occupation? The elements of all bodily games and of ceremonial 

 games are given by direct excito-motor stimuhitions — just as when puppies 

 chase one another and swallows have a parliament. 



