The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-04-13

- ' III y II
sons NV sooxA
HGinA D. Aainals.
The preliminary contribution to the study
Of comparative Psychology undertaken BY Mr..
@. J. RoNANEs Was published some time ago
under the title OF Animal Intelligence" In that
book no contsnted himself with presenting .
compendium Of all the obtainable facts rela
ing TO the subject. deferrinR to . subsequent
treatise the task OF classification and general
ization. In the second intallments OF his work.
Mental Evolution in Ani,nals. which forms the
latest addition to tho International Scientific
Series (Appletons). Mr.. Romanes has ossayed
TO distribute and interpret the subject matter
collected In the former volume. so far - this
II drawn from observation Of the lower anil
mails. and can be entirely disassociated
from Intellectual phenomena In man. We
must walt for third and concluding vol
ume In order to learn the authors final con-
victions regarding the relations. II In truth
there be any such. between the kind Of inteli-
genos evinoed In tho lower orders OF the ami:
NAL craAtinn and thS h~msn uiinu. NOT. OF
course. that In these earlier stages Of his In
Quiry the author would desire or would be able
to wholly veil from the reader his views upon
this subject; but he has right to expect his
opinions to be treated a. undivided until they
are formally propounded and supported by the
fullest array Of fact and argument that he ct
least can bring into the field.
Even In the present discussion the writer. be-
ing constrained to adopt some hypothesis. has
assumed the truth Of the general theory Of
evolution. But ~ postulated In the book now
under consideration. this theory has been sub
ioctsd to certain limitations superposed for the
express purpose Of commanding the soundness
Of the promise to the followers alike OF Mr..
Wallace and Of Mr.. Darwin. It 10 we'll known
that the difference between the views Of the
two Joint orlsinators Of the theory Of natural
selection. or survival of the fttest-A difference
which still marks of the increasing hosts Of
their disclples-hinges on this fact. that. while
Mr.. Darwin believed tho data OF human psy-
chology to be applicable by the general laws Of
evolution. Mr.. Wallace denies that these data ad-
NIT Of being thus explained. Now. 80 far As this
volume 10 concerned Mr.. Romanes has on.
deavored to wholly eliminate this trenchant
and important issue. and an that he asks the
reader to concede Is the fact, a. distinguished
from the manner and history. OF mental evolu-
ton throughout the whole range OF the animal
kingdom. with the exception OF man. It II
hardly credible that any scientist would decline
to conoede as much as this. Neither Mr.. Wal
lace nor Mr.. st. George Mivnrt has disputed
our power to trace throughout the brute crea-
ton one continuous graduation from wholly un-
Intelligent animals to the most highly gifted (;
they could not refuse to recognize the evidence
OF mental evolution In the lower animals at
least. without rejecting the evidence for organic
evolution altogether.
We propose to outline some Of the main con-
illusions which arc systematically expounded
In this book. and especially the authors
theory OF instinct and his conception OF
the form OF reason which. in his opinion.
10 revealed In some OF the higher ant
mails. We should first. however. call attention
to elements OF peculiar value In this treatise
supplied by q posthumous essay OF Mr.. Darwin
upon instinct Originally written for the
Origin Of Species" but suppressed for the
sake OF Condensation and by large amount
OF fragmentary but relevant matter incorpor-
ated with the present writer's text. and derived
from Mr.. Darwin's unpublished manuscripts.
That Is to say. for the purpose Of this study in
comparative psychology. Mr.. Romanes may
fairly be regarded as Darwin's executor. 1t
will indeed. be plain to readers OF the appen.
dices that the view Of instinct entertained by
Darwin substantially coincdej with the theory
propounded in this volume.
Before exhibiting the authors conception Of
instinct and Its relation to reason so far as
tho lower animals are capable OF that faculty..
lot US pause an instant to hear him define
the criterion by which he purposes detecting
tho existence Of mind. This criterion has al
ready been announced In Animal Intelli-
gence "as follows: 1t Is. then. adaptive &C.
tion by living organism In cases whore the
inherited machinery OF the nervous system
does not furnish data for our provision Of
what tho adaptive action must necessarily be
1T ia 10 hara hat a. ot,o
evidence OF mind" In other words. the dis.
tinctive evidence Of mind is consciousness !;
the test OF consciousness Is the presence Of
choice: and evidence OF choice Is tho
| an'ecedent uncertainty OF abusive ac-
ton between two or moro possible courses
We should here interject that for the
purposes OF this treatise. the term choice which
might otherwise provoke interminab!e contro-
versies. Is thus defined: agents that are able to
choose their actions are agents that are ab!e to
feel the stimuli which determine the choice
We repeat. then. that tho test Of mind to which
the author means to adhere throughout the
present volume is simply this: Does tho or.
ganism learn to make new adjustments. or to
modify old ones in accordance with the results
OF its own individual experience? II II does 80
tho fact cannot be merely due to reflex action
for 1t Is impossible that heredity can have pro-
vlded In advance for innovations upon or atera-
tions OF Its machinery during the lifetime Of q
particular Individual"
such being the criterion applied to oil those
classes OF animals which are currently said to
evince instinct but not reason. what arc the
conclusions reached by the author regarding
the nature and significance OF the phenomena
which the term instinct connotes? These phe.
nomenH are. In the first place. circumscrbed
with much precision by q Limitation OF the
sense In which tho term instinct Is employed.
When Mr.. Romanes speaks OF instinct he
means reflex action into which there Is i'm
ported the element OF consciousness. The
term is therefore generic one. comprising all
those faculties which are concerned in con-
scious or adaptive action. nntecedent to In
dividual experience. without necessary knowl-
edge OF the relation between means employed
and ends attained but similarly performed.
under similar and frequently recurring cir
cunstances. by all the individuals OF the same
species.' The author thon proceeds to give II.
Illustrations q tho perfection OF instinct rs ex-
hibited BY very young animals or by animals