12 The American Naturalist. [January, 
and untrue ” conceptions of emotion and feeling shall continue 
to be read into amoeba and protozoa; for so long are gross mis- 
interpretations and fallacies scarcely to be avoided.” 
Another region of misleading assumption isembraced with- 
in current doctrines regarding “ unconscious ” neural processes, 
and “ subconscious consciousness.” Itis the accepted attitude 
? Examples of these difficulties abound. Already I have spoken of the prob- 
lem, now become classic, of determining whether fishes hear with their ears, or 
get only such a sense of equilibrium as we get from the semicircular canals— 
our canals and our cochlea being both derived from the single otic vesicle 
of the fish. Of course it must make much difference whether the comparative 
Psychologist and Biologist, in estimating the conduct of fishes in their sensory en- 
vironment, credit them with hearing or not 
A similar question is raised in a still more striking manner by a species of Cle- 7 
psine reported by Prof. Whitman. This creature displays a series of dorsal pairs 3 
of segmental sense organs, in graded states of development, all the way from fully 
developed eyes in the anterior segment, down through organs that show but a 
bit of pigment imbeded in the skin, to final posterior analogues that can not be 
distinguished from ordinary dermal organs of touch. The problem here is not 
only where touch leaves off and sight begins, but also where mechanical pressure 
leaves off and the sun begins, as a part of the creatures active environment. 
Again the ordinary earth worm serves as an example. It moves in response to 
light, heat, odors and such stimuli as in us cause taste and touch. Yet no differ- . 
ence has as yet been discovered among its simple sense-fibres, which apparently 
are all alike. Until our general problem is somewhat cleared up, the psychic life — : 
of this creature must be extremely doubtful, and most easy of misinterpretation J | 
: : 
: 
by the careless observer 
As we go backward from the worms the difficulties increase, till with amor- 
phous creatures the greatest possible doubt is reached, and we are finally brought 
to face our two main propositions of many original senses or one. Acco 
ing as the naturalist assumes the one proposition or the other, does he make both = 
the psychic and the environmental life of such creatures either very simple, or 
toloreably complex. Be. 
the careless assumption of any one sense or function as necessarily the first, 
comes in here by way of example. As, for illustration, the assumptions respec- 
tively that touch, or taste, or muscle sense, or heat and cold, or pain, or pleasure 
must have come first; or that the innervation function of central cells must 
develop before the carrying power of nerves, and perhaps the contractility of 
‘muscles develop before either. It by no means follows that such matters may not 
be legitimately considered, and with results of great value. But inthesame way — 
ave the Srey of the actinic  susceptability of protozoa should make the Biolo- 
the appearances of eyes 
vile truth being that a sort of i incipient sight may prevail previous to the appear. _ 
ance of any special sort of eye apparatus whatever), so the numerous possibilities 
bera we have traced out in this lecture should make one careful in interpretting 
milar matters along this whole line of Biology and Psychology, 
