6090 



Reason and Instinct, 



of bathing, when I observed a woman sitting upon a rock in the midst 

 of the current, and watching with the liveliest interest the gambols of 

 something, which at first I took to be an uncommonly large species 

 of frog, which was sporting in the water near her. Attracted by the 

 novelty of the sight, 1 waded towards the spot where she sat, and 

 could hardly credit the evidence of my senses, when I beheld a little 

 infant, the period of whose birth could not have extended many days 

 back, paddling about as if it had just risen to the surface, after being 

 hatched into existence at the bottom. Occasionally the delighted 

 parent reached out her hands towards it, when the little thing, 

 uttering a faint cry, and striking out its tiny limbs, would sidle for the 

 rock, and the next moment be clasped to its mother's bosom. This 

 was repeated again and again, the baby remaining in the stream about 

 a minute at a time. * * * * Por several weeks afterwards I 

 observed this woman bringing her child down to the stream regularly 

 every day, in the cool of the morning and evening, and treating it to 

 a bath. No wonder that the South Sea Islanders are so amphibious 

 a race, when they are thus launched into the water as soon as they 

 see the light. I am convinced that it is as natural for a human being 

 to swim as it is for a duck. And yet in civilized communities how 

 many able-bodied individuals die, like so many drowning kittens, 

 from the occurrence of the most trivial accidents." — (Melville's 

 * Marquesas Islands,' p. 252.) No doubt there is involved in this case 

 the influence of teaching; and, no doubt, that teaching is, in a sense, 

 more intelligent than the presumed teaching of the bird or the beast 

 to its young. But, admitting this, and recalling the exceedingly 

 tender age of the children alluded to, and the failure that would be 

 found attaching to an attempt to teach them something of a nature 

 diverse from that bodily act which has been a habit of their pro- 

 genitors for ages, it is impossible to assert that there is not here at 

 least an approach to what is very like the hereditary instinct of the 

 brute animal. This, at least, must be conceded, that the observed 

 powers and peculiarities of the young savage, briefly adverted to 

 above, must be accounted for either on the ground of pure or simple 

 Instinct, or else on that of Hereditary Instinct. To me, 1 must con- 

 fess, it appears that both are involved. 



All that has been so far advanced applies to quite savage or 

 nncivilized tribes, and much of it almost as strongly to more or less 

 slightly civilized communities. And there are abundant materials for 

 carrying out a series of similar observations to a considerable length. 

 This, however, I forbear to do, alike from necessity and from a con- 



