to reach results stvmmu' to confirm whatever theory the author 

 wished to establish. 



It was, therefore, with special interest that the reviewer 

 greeted the appearance of a general work by Bohn ; on the one 

 hand, it would naturally deal with phenomena that the reviewer 

 is convinced are of special importance; on the other, it was 

 hoped that the care and accuracy of presentation would be such 

 as to remove all doubts as to the validity of Bohn's scientific 

 results. 



As to the first point, a general examination seemed to show 

 one's best hopes gratified. The book might be called an ampli- 

 fication of the text— 'The reactions of a living creature at a 

 given moment depend not only on the present conditions, but on 

 all the conditions of the past life — not only the life of the 

 individual under consideration, but also that of its ancestors" 

 (p. 259). 4 This is the spirit in which I have desired to see 

 written a book on behavior. 



The book is not put in the form of a connected account, but 

 is rather a series of discussions of general topics and problems, 

 illustrated by examples. Discussion of the work and views of 

 other investigators occupies a large space ; here the author paints 

 in large, sweeping strokes, pronouncing as to good or ill with 

 absolute confidence. This method makes lively reading, but it 

 requires great and accurate knowledge of details and a most 

 fair and judicious spirit to use it and remain scientific ; without 

 these qualities it is cheap, easy and misleading. The author's 

 qualifications in these respects we shall inquire into later. 



Many of the author's general principles and methods seem 

 excellent ; he attempts to distinguish the varied different factors 

 in behavior ; to establish definite meanings for terms long under 

 doubt or controversy (so for example the term tropism) ; to 

 search for objective factors everywhere; he recognizes fully the 

 complexity and modifiability of behavior. The reviewer finds 

 especially sympathetic the section on the uselessness of the idea 

 of instinct as an analytic concept ; the emphasis on the fact that 

 all adaptation or "finality" is a problem, not a solution (p. 

 286); the idea of the "struggle against variation" (Ch. 15), 



