344 
ON INSTINCT. 
The brain of the negro is inferior to that of the European, and 
the organization is also less perfect. The large cranium and 
high forehead of the ouran-outang lift him above his brother 
monkeys, but the development of his cerebral hemispheres and 
his mental manifestations are both equally below those of the 
negro. This gradation of organization and mind passes through 
the monkey, elephant, dog, horse, and to other quadrupeds ; 
thence to birds, reptiles, and fishes, and so on to the lowest link' 
of our imaginary chain. 
Now, to bring this reasoning to bear upon our present inquiry, 
viz.—the instinctive properties of animals,”—we find that, just 
in the same proportion as organization is reduced—that is, exactly 
as the organic parts are diminished in number and simplified— 
the development of instinct is the strongest, exhibiting in an 
almost miraculous manner the workings of a Divine power, and 
performing operations which the intellect and skill of man would 
in vain attempt to rival or to imitate. Whilst, on the other hand, 
as we ascend our organic chain, we shall discover that where 
reason and intellect are most powerful and sufficient as guides, 
as in man and most of the higher grades of animals, instinct is 
the weakest and least wonderful. 
Hence it must necessarily follow, that extraordinary in¬ 
stinctive powers are not the result of extraordinary intellectual 
ones. 
Now, if we confine our attention to those animals situated 
either at the top or bottom of our imaginary chain, there will be 
no difficulty in deciding those actions which are the result of 
the exercise of the intellectual faculties from those which are 
instinctive. But when we consider the actions of some of those 
animals that closely approximate to man, we discover certain 
qualities that approach so closely on the confines of both, that 
I confess I am at a loss to decide. There seems to be a mixture 
of reason and instinct combined that differs widely from pure 
instinct, or, at least, from what we are in the habit of consider¬ 
ing as instinctive actions, that this principle in them appears on 
many occasions to be subordinate to a mental capacity, approach¬ 
ing to the reasoning powers of man. 
But, ere we proceed further, it will be necessary that we should 
endeavour to define what instinct is. Could the bee and the ant 
tell us what it is that goads them to their several labours, and 
instructs them how to perform them, then, even then, we should 
probably have much to learn before we should be able to exclaim 
with the Syracusan mathematician, EufV) “ 1 have unveiled the 
mystery.” Without, then, attempting to give a logical definition 
of it—which, while we arc ignorant of the essence of reason, is 
