CHAPTER IX 



HOW PERVERSION OF RACE CHARACTER ORIGI- 

 NATED WARFARE, GROUPS, AND HORDES 



Individual character may be denned as a group 

 of intrinsic potentials ■ from which the uniformities 

 in a creature's actions or conduct arise. See Chap. 

 Ill, page 76. These potentials are determined by 

 the intrinsic nature of the creature, but actions derive 

 their specific qualities from the functional adaptation 

 of the external organs. And the external organs are 

 visible. Therefore can the character of an animal 

 be ordinarily inferred from its external appearance. 



Mimicry in nature, which misleads animals with 

 reference to the character of creatures by external 

 appearances, depends for its survival value on 

 the validity of this rule. To illustrate : A certain 

 harmless fly escapes from enemies by being changed 

 through variation into looking in color and form 

 like a dangerous, stinging wasp. The character of 

 the fly remains harmless after this variation has 

 occurred. The creatures in the habit of feeding on 

 this species of flies, however, seem to be afraid of 

 the wasp-like appearance and confine themselves 



*The word ' ' potential " was selected because it seems to include 

 all inherent provocatives of conduct. 



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