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- 
