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ANALYSES OF BOOKS. 
The so-called Understanding of Animals, or Animal Instinct : a 
Popular-Scientific Study A' By Dr. Leopold Schutz, Pro- 
fessor at the Seminary for Priests at Treves. Paderborn : 
Ferdinand Schoningh. 
Having for many years paid close attention to animal psychology 
we feel bound, in addition to our own observations and refledlions, 
to take into account the writings of all men of science who have 
made this matter the subjedt of serious study. We were there- 
fore very happy on receiving, through the courtesy of the pub- 
lisher, a copy of Dr. Schiitz’s work. Our satisfaction was not 
the less, but rather the greater, because the first glance at the 
title-page convinced us that the learned author had arrived at 
conclusions widely differing from our own, — which, however, we 
are perfectly prepared to surrender if they can be proved incom- 
patible with fadts. 
In the Preface we are at once confronted with a decided no- 
velty. The irrationality of the lower animals is presented as 
something very like a dogma of the Christian Church. Those 
who uphold the mysterious notion of instindt are “combatants 
for pure truth and genuine science,” whilst those who, like our- 
selves, consider the difference between man and beast as one of 
degree rather than of kind, are pronounced Materialists, “ ene- 
mies of the Christian faith,” and “ mercenaries of a preconceived 
opinion or of a spurious illumination. Against these expressions, 
or rather against the vein of thought underlying them, we must 
earnestly protest. Had Dr. Schutz, in accordance with his duty, 
made a conscientious examination of the literature of the subjedt, 
he would have found that there is no necessary connedtion be- 
tween the Instindtarian dodtrine and Theism or Christianity, and 
in like manner that the belief in animal rationality is nowise a 
consequence of Materialism. Among the many writers utterly 
free from any leanings to Atheism, or to a denial of revealed 
religion, but who have been unable to shut their eyes to the 
overwhelming evidences of animal rationality, we may cite the 
late Archbishop Whately. He writes : — “ It is quite clear that 
if such adls were done by men they would be regarded as an 
exercise of reason, and I do not know why when performed by 
brutes, evidently by a similar process, as far as can be judged ? 
* Der sogenannte Verstand der Thiere oder der Animalische Instinkt ; eine 
popular-naturwissenschaftliche Studie. 
