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ORDINARY MEETING, 2nd Mat, 1870. 
The Rev. R. Thornton, D.D., Vice-President, in the 
Chair. 
The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed. 
The following elections were announced : — 
Member R. R. Newman, Esq., 53, Upper Bedford-place. 
Associates, 2nd Class: -Rev. F. Williams, B.A., Saltley Vicarao-e • 
W. J. Harris, Esq., Worthing. 
The Secretary, in the absence of the Author, then read the following 
paper : — 
ON COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY. By E. J. Morshead, 
Esq., H.M.C.S., Hon. For. Sec. Viet. Inst. 
I N a former paper (read before the members of this Institute 
on the 2nd of March, 1868) I attempted to show that the 
difference between the human psychology and the brute 
psychology was a difference not of degree, but of kind. I 
took the following position with reference to this difference— 
that, while man possesses both instinct and reason, the brute 
possesses instinct alone. I now purpose making a few further 
remarks on the subject of instinct. 
2. Instinct is, in the original sense of the term, a natural 
impulse. The usual meaning attached to it is, as I con- 
sider, rather too limited. We usually call those actions 
which cannot, so far as we know, proceed from a foreknow- 
ledge of their probable consequences, instinctive actions: but 
w en an animal may be reasonably supposed to be aware 
expei lence whether an action is likely to prove bene- 
ficial or prejudicial to itself, we remove the action from 
tie category of instinctive actions, and attribute it to a 
rational motive. It is necessary, therefore, in order to avoid 
misconception, that we should closely adhere to the fore- 
going efimtion of instinct; and that we should bear in 
mind that the term is properly applicable to the impulse 
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