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


Al regards the processes through which this
metamorphosis OF Instructive habits takes
place. Mr. Romanes shows us that intelligence
may operats In tho modification Of instinct
either By perceiving the need Of change In
the dictates Of heredity. BY intelligent imita-
ton OF the habits Of other animals. or by par
ents Intentionally teaching their young. Among
the oopious testimony offered on this point.
the most impressive facts are furnished by the
lncontrovertible effects Of domestication. 1t
Ia indeed. notorious that domestioation has
not merely . negative influence In Graduating
natural instincts. but also positive influence
In developing now instincts. In the case Of
the dog these new or artificial instincts are
shown To be "strikingly exhibited In tho sheep
dog pointer. and retriever. but perhaps still
more remarkably In the instructive love OF
man evinced BY nearly all the breeds; faithful
ness to and sense OF dependence upon man:
Unborn idea Of protecting his masters property
aad Of himself a. constituting Q part NJ that
nrnr.,t-, taikinR peing an acquired instinct
and probably arising from this idea Of protect
Ing his masters property Indeed. 90 funda-
mental has been this Psychological transforms
tion In the dog that the artificial instincts have
frequently become stronger than even the
strongest Of the natural instincts. viz. the ma
ternal ~ 10 proved By cases In which the lat
ter has given way when In conflict with the
former"
Now. what. on tho other hand. 10 the definition
OF reason to which Mr.. Romanes 10 led BY the
study Of certain proofs Of intelligence In tho
lower animals which cannot be referred to In
stinct. a. the latter form OF mental action Ii
here oonceivedf Reason" he says. " is the
faculty which 10 concerned In the intentional
adaptation Of means to ends. II therefore i'm.
plies the conscious knowledge OF the relation
between means employed and ends attained.
and may be exercised In adaptation to circum-
stances novel alike TO the experience OF the In
dividual and to that Of the species" In
tracing the genesis Of this faculty Mr.. Romanes
can detect no real break between cognition OF
the lowest and OF the highest order. though for
the sake OF historical description he finds It
convenient to mark of what may be termed
conventional stages In the process OF Develop
ment. Thus he would make the first stage con-
sist In merely perceiving an external object a.
an external object the next In recognizing the
simplest qualities Of IN object. the third In
mentally grouping objects with reference to
their perceived qualities or relations. and the
fourth stage In inferring unperceived qualities
or relations from perceived ones. as when on
hearing growl we Immediately infer the
presence OF q dangerous dog. Before ex-
aiming In some detail the earlier gradatlons Of
inference. We should note that the last and
highest stage OF reasoning. which only occurs
In man. and which Is attained when tho pro-
cess OF ratiocination admits OF being
itself consciously recognized as an object
OF knowledge. is not discussed at all
In the present volume. Confning him.
self to the lower animals. Mr.. Ro-
names submits that they must certainly
present the first. or. as he calls It, the per-
ceptivc stage Of inference: for otherwise we
QhOnd hnva 4 hat hot hnIo
mechanism Of perception Is different from our
own. But there is only one respect In which
tho mechanism can be shown to DO different
and this consists In the fact that newly Matched
birds and newly born mammals are able, with
out such individual experience as is required
In the case OF man. Immediately and correctly
to supply all the mental differences which arc
needed to complete their sensuous percep-
tions." Tho author would find the explana-
ton OF this difference In the assumption that
In these cases heredity has already done the
work. SO that the young animal comes into the
world with its mental endowments OF percep-
tive inference as fully elaborated and as com.
petey efficient as its bodily endowments Of
psfceptive sensations" Tit Is otherwise with
man. this 10 probably because the human
mind. from being SO habitualy concerned with
processes OF inference on higher planes. would
not be so ready to build up by unconscious as.
ISOLATION mechanism OF perceptive or auto.
matte inference as would the less highly elab-
GRATED mind OF an animal similarly situated"
That inference OF the second stage. which
recognizes the simplest qualities OF an object
occurs In animals. will not DO disputed though
1t Is impossible to say just where In the animal
kingdom inference Of this kind begins. 1t Is,
however. certain that this faculty Is encounter
cd low down In the scale OF organized existence
among the inre'Tebrdia.
The noxt stage Of inference Is. in the opinion
OF Mr.. Romnnes land we believe OF all scientific
observers. including those who are mort eager
to bridge over the gulf between man and the
rest OF tho animal creation'. the highest that
obtains among animals. This is the stage in
which objects. qualities and relations are do.
liberately compared with the intention OF per-
ceivin3 likenessos and unlikenesses lanai
ogies). the action which follows being there
fore undertaken with a knowledge. or percep.
ton. OF the relation between the means en-.
rloyed and the ends attained. This, it will be
remembered. is the stage in tho process OF in.
ference to which the author has applied tho
name OF reason or ratiocinGtion. and he deems
1t unuuestionable that reason. thus defined.
Is exhibited BY nearly al the warm blooded ami.
mails. and even by some OF tho inrertelrata For
the proof Of this assertion the reader ia refer.
ASo w eh0 0AhouStNc uutA COIlpli6u III animal
Intelligence" but for the sake OF supplying a
deficiency in that array OF facts the author has
here given In a note a striking example of
reasoning In an animal most nearly approach
Ing man. 1t seems that "one Of the oranas.
which recently died at the menagerie Of tho
Music. vas accustomed whom the dinner hour
had come. to open tho door OF the room where
no took his meals In company with several per.
sons. A he was not sufficiently tall to reach
as far as the key OF the door. he hung on to a
rope. balanced himself and after few oscilla-
tons very quickly reached the key. His keeper
who was rather worried BY so much exactitude
one day took occasion to make three knots in
the rope. which. having thus been made too
short. no longer permitted the orang- outang
to seize the key. The animal after an inetYect-
ual attempt. recognizing the nature Of the oh.
sfdcie nhich opposed has desire. climbed up the
rop" placed himself Adore he Knots. and united
all three, in the presence OF NJ. Geoffroy Saint
Hilaire. who related tho fact to me. The same
apo wishing to open door. his keeper gave
him u bunch OF fifteen koys; the ape tried them