6432 



Reason and Instinct. 



the way to — perhaps even prompt — the suspicion, that where Instinct 

 is very inert in the exercise of its influences, there Intelligence also 

 must be found to be proportionably low : that as the impulses 

 of Instinct become more pronounced and decisive, the operation of 

 some other motive to action — also of variable power, and sustaining 

 accessions of strength co-ordinate to those of Instinct itself — may also 

 present unmistakeable evidences of its presence and potency ; this 

 other motive being, in plain terms, the motive of Reason and Will. 



And certainly, the suspicion, once aroused, will, in no long time, be 

 converted into conviction : Instinct and Reason will appear to go 

 hand in hand together, at least up to a certain point ; at which this 

 is seen to take an immense stride in advance, that to become, as it 

 were, oppressed and obscure, and more and more unable to exhibit 

 either its power or its presence, as heretofore. I do not mean that up 

 to the point specified they keep even pace with each other; that a 

 certain increased activity of the Instinctive agencies presupposes a 

 certain corresponding and proportionate increase in the Intelligence 

 or Rational faculties ; but simply, that as we proceed from one class 

 of animals to another, if we find Instinct is, in the new class, more 

 strongly developed and more remarkably exercised than in that we 

 have just passed from, we shall also find that in that class greater 

 Intelligence also and greater Adaptiveness — without attempting to say 

 how much greater — will be observed to prevail than in the former 

 class. It may be then, that when we are investigating the case of an 

 animal in which the manifestation of Instinct-agency is as low as 

 possible consistently with admitting of recognition, the intelligence of 

 the animal in question shall be so low as not to be discoverable. At 

 the same time, while admitting the possibility of this, we ought 

 to bear in mind that in very many of the cases which might, perhaps, 

 be alleged as cases in point, we are, as yet, possessed of no infor- 

 mation, sufficiently precise and close, as to the habits and lives of 

 such creatures ; no information such as only intimate acquaintance 

 with them and the closest observation of their ways would furnish us 

 with. And for my own part I feel little doubt that where we are for- 

 tunate enough to possess adequate information, the result will go to 

 prove the truth of the theory that under the limitations above 

 adverted to, Instinct presupposes Reason. 



And certainly, as we proceed with an examination of the suc- 

 cessive links of the chain, presenting — as we have said — up to a certain 

 point, successive advances in the tokens and proofs of Instinct- 

 energy, we shall meet with much to assure us that we ought not too 



