ing away the gifts of Providence, she "Katherine, I have left everything to said, for a portionless girl to give up a you. In spite of what I used to say to fortune which the man, who could not urge you to a marriage which I foresaw carry it to his grave, was imploring her to would turn out happily, I never meant accept. Every one knew that Mr. La- that any but you should ever possess a bouchere was suffering from a mortal farthing of my money " her misery complaint; every doctor he had consult- seemed greater than she could bear, and, ed agreed that nothing could keep him hiding her face in her hands, she cried alive beyond a few years. He was not out that fate had dealt very hardly with ignorant of all this himself, and indeed her. had freely spoken to Katherine on the subject.

Compare the Infant "mewling and puk-nity of making in my earlier life, in reing in the nurse's arms" with the Chick, gard to the visual perceptions of older which makes its own way out of its shell children, born blind, who had acquired by chipping it round in a circle at some sight by operation, that the Distancedistance from the large end, and speedily judging and Muscle-regulating power is gets upon its legs and runs about, pecking acquired in the Human infant by the genwithin a few hours, at insects or other eralization (which I believe to be for the small objects; or with the Lamb, which, most part unconsciously made) of the exwithin a few minutes of its birth, seems to periences it gains in the first twelve or find itself quite at home in its new dwell- eighteen months of its life. Mr. Spalding-place, moving from place to place with ing's deduction from the exactness with freedom and activity, and in a manner which his unhooded Chicks followed the which clearly indicates that it possesses movements of crawling insects, and the complete control over its Muscles, and is precision with which they pecked at them, guided in the use of them by its Visual - that "their behaviour was conclusive and other Senses. It is true that Kittens against the theory that the perceptions of and Puppies are relatively less advanced; distance and direction by the eye are the being in respect of power to use their results of experience, of associations eyes, even behind the Human infant. formed in the history of each individual But this power they come to possess in a life," is, I doubt not, perfectly sound few days, and their progress both in Sen- as regards the Chick; but it will not bear sorial and in Muscular activity is thence- extension to Man. forth very rapid, so that they soon become capable of in a great degree taking care of themselves; a week or two sufficing to bring them up to a stage corresponding to that which is only reached by the Human infant between the first and second year.

Nothing, as it seems to me, can be a greater mistake, than for the Pyschologist to build up any argument as to the congenital or the acquired nature of Human Instincts, especially such as depend on Visual Perception, and the reguÎation of Muscular Movements thereby, - on the basis of observation or experiment on the lower Animals. The question is one to be determined entirely by observation and experiment on the Human infant; for we have no more reason to affirm à priori, that, because a Chick can do so, a Human infant can judge of the directions and distances of objects, so as to be able to regulate its motions accordingly, than we have to say that because a Limb can get upon its legs and run about, an Infant can do the same if it would only try. The experiments recently made by Mr. Spalding,* afford a very complete and interesting confirmation of what was previously known as a fact of observation, as to the congenital possession of this power by Birds. But, on the other hand, I do not hesitate to affirm, as the result of observations, ad hoc, prolonged through the infancy of five successive children, and also on the basis of observations which (as I shall presently state) I had often the opportu

Macmillan's Magazine" for February, 1873. LIVING AGE. VOL. II. 68

I entirely agree with Mr. Spalding (see "Nature," Feb. 20, p. 300) that the absence of this faculty in the new-born Infant might be fairly ascribed, if we had no evidence to the contrary, to its backward general development; and that the Infant's evident possession of it when it comes to walk alone, might be simply a result of the evolution of its faculties, without any dependence upon individual experience. But there is evidence to the contrary. Having been introduced into the Medical profession by an eminent Surgeon of Bristol (the late Mr. J. B. Estlin), who had a large Ophthalmic practice in the West of England and South Wales, I had the opportunity of seeing many cases of congenital Cataract cured by operation; the condition of these children being exactly parallel in respect of Vision to that of Mr. Spalding's hooded chicks. Generally speaking, the operation was performed within the first twelve months; but I distinctly remember two cases, in one of which the subject was a remarkably sturdy little fellow of three years old, whilst the other was a lad of nine. In the latter case, however, there had been more visual power before the operation, than in the former; and I therefore present the well-remembered case of Jemmy Morgan as the basis of my assertion, that the acquirement of the power of visually guiding the muscular movements is experiential in the case of the Human infant.

Jemmy had most assuredly come to that stage of his development, which would justify the expectation that if he | had his Sight, he would at once use it for

it neither shows anything that can be called attraction or repulsion at sights or sounds; the "following" motion of its eyes, as a candle or other bright object is waved before them, being the first indication that it even sees the object; while the "start" at a sudden loud sound is the first indication that it possesses the sense of hearing. The very young infant, as Prof. Bain was (I believe) the first to point out, does not "wink," either at loud and sudden sounds, or when an object is so moved towards the eyes as to threaten them with injury. The movement of winking which is obviously protective, is not called forth through the sight until a comparatively late period; although sounds which make the infant "start" usually make it "wink" also. The former is probably experiential; but, as Mr. Darwin remarks ("Expression of the Emotions," p. 39) "it is obviously impossible that a carefully guarded infant could have learned by experience that a rattling sound near its eyes indicated danger to them; but such experience will have been slowly gained at a later age during a long series of generations; and from what we know of inheritance there is nothing improbable in the transmission of a habit to the offspring at an earlier age than that at which it was first acquired by the par

have been recently engaged, have not "exercised" my mind on any topic so much as on the following: - Certain minute particles of living jelly, having no visible differentiation of organs, possessing neither mouth, stomach, nor members, save such as they extemporize, and living (as it would seem) by simple absorption through the "animated spider'sweb" into which they can extend themselves, build up "tests" or casings, of the most regular geometrical symmetry of form, and of the most artificial construction. Suppose a Human mason to be put down by the side of a great pile of stones of various shapes and sizes, and to be told to build a dome of these, smooth on both surfaces, and to use the least possible quantity of a very tenacious but very costly cement in holding the stones together. If he accomplished this well, we should give him credit for great intelligence and skill. Yet this is exactly what these little "jelly-specks" do on a very minute scale; the "tests" they construct, when highly magnified, bearing comparison with the most skilful masonry of Man. From the same sandy bottom, one species picks up the coarser quartz-grains, cements them together with phosphate of iron (!) which must be secreted from their own substance; and thus constructs a flask-shaped "test," having a short neck The Physiologist has been accustomed and a single large orifice. Another picks to apply the term Instinctive to those up the finer grains, and puts them togethAutomatic actions in which a certain er with the same cement into perfectly movement or series of movements is per- spherical "tests" of the most extraordiformed at the prompting of Sensations, nary finish, perforated with numerous without any training or experience, and small pores disposed at pretty regular inwithout (as he presumes) any intentional tervals. Another selects the minutest adaptation of means to ends; whilst he sand-grains and the terminal points of characterizes as Intelligent such actions sponge-spicules, and works these up toas originate in the Ego's idea of the pur-gether,- apparently with no cement at pose, and are consciously directed by him all, but by the "laying" of the spicules,to its attainment. This distinction, which into perfect spheres, like homeopathic leaves the question open, as regards each globules, each having a single fissured species of animal, what part of its life- orifice. work is Instinctive and what is Rational, is generally not difficult of practical application; what is required to differentiate the two kinds of action in any case, being a careful study of the habits, not only of the Individual but of the Race,- so as to separate what is uniform from what is variable, what is done without experience from what is only learned by experience. But there are certain cases in which it not only seems impossible to draw this line, but in which it seems equally difficult to assign the actions to one category or the other.

ents."

The Deep-Sea researches on which I

Here, then, is most distinct evidence of selective power; and the question forces itself upon us, - by what instrumentality is it exercised? Is this selection made intentionally, as it would be by the Human artisan? We can scarcely conceive that what seems a homogeneous jellyspeck should be possessed of Psychical endowments of so high a character. Is it made mechanically? It seems equally difficult to conceive that so artificial an operation can be performed by a mechanism so simple. I have often amused myself, when by the sea-side, with getting a Terebella (a Marine Worm that cases its

body in a sandy tube) out of its house, | substance of many of them being travand then, putting it into a saucer of water ersed, like that of Dentine, by closely-set with a supply of sand and comminuted parallel tubuli not 1-10,000th of an inch shell, watching its appropriation of these in diameter. Now, surely the formation materials in constructing a new one. The of these shells by a process of growth, is extended tentacles soon spread them- not one whit less marvellous, or less diffiselves over the bottom, and lay hold of cult to account for, than the building up of whatever comes in their way, "all be- the sandy "tests." But what scientific ing fish that comes to their net," and Physiologist, however decided his belief in in half an hour or thereabouts, the new a First Cause, would think it a sufficient tube is finished. Now here the organiza- account of the production, either of these tion is far higher; the instrumentality beautiful Shells, or of the human Dentine obviously serves the needs of the animal, they resemble, that "God hath made and suffices for them; and we character- them so"? It is obvious that the conize the action, on account of its uniform-sistent carrying-out of such a philosophy ity and its un-intelligence, as Instinctive. would abolish Science generally, as comBut what are we to say of the far higher pletely as Palæontology would be abol work, performed by the simplest possible ished by the adoption of that old method instrumentality of our Arenaceous Fora- of accounting for Fossil Remains which minifers? The minute types which I has been revived of late by Mr. Gosse,have found at present living in our sea- viz. that they were created in the place depths are mere Lilliputians in compari- and condition in which we find them, and son with the spheres of the size of a never really formed parts of living organsmall cricket-ball, which Geologists at isms.-There is, as it seems to me, no work upon the Green-sand near Cam- half-way house. Either we must have bridge used to kick about as mere Inor- immmédiate recourse to the First Cause ganic concretions, but which I have in every instance, in which case we rest shown to be gigantic types of the same in it; or else we must seek to connect group, composed of concentric spheres of every phenomenon with its Physical a wonderfully complicated structure, all Cause, so as to frame a scientific concepmost artificially built up of fine sand- tion of the Order of Nature. grains.

Let us now pass from the creatures The easiest way of accounting for these which show us by how simple an instrufacts, is doubtless to attribute the elab- mentality the most marvellous results can orate mason-work of each of our "jelly- be wrought out, to the Class of Insects, specks" to the direct prompting of the in which a wide range of Instincts (ie., Creative Mind in other words, to say of congenital tendencies to Sensori-motor that the jelly-speck has no powers, either action) manifests itself in connection with conscious or unconscious, of its own. a most elaborate mechanism. Although But all Men of Science, from Bacon it may be argued in the case of Hive-bees downwards, have deprecated this as an (on whose life-history our notions of the utterly unscientific mode of dealing with range of Instinct are chiefly founded), such questions; for the hypothesis leaves that the extraordinary perfection of our knowledge of the method on which their workmanship, and the uniformity the Creator works, through the instru- of the course they take under each mentality of these simple creatures, just of a great variety of contingencies, where it was; and this method is pre- are to be accounted for by the expericisely what it is the province of Science mental acquirement of knowledge, proto investigate. Thus in the somewhat gressively improved, and transmitted parallel case of the direction of the roots from one generation to another, this canof Plants towards a source of moisture, not possibly be admitted in the case of at some distance, it may be - -a refuge certain of the Solitary Bees. For with refor ignorance was formerly found in gard to these it may be positively affirmed, characterizing the act as "instinctive; "that the offspring can know nothing of but this did not help the matter in the the construction of its nest, either from least; and the study of the Physical its own experience, or from instruction Cause of that direction has given the communicated by its parent; clue to a rational explanation of it.

But further, other types of deep-sea Foraminifer produce true shells, of singular beauty and symmetry of form, and of great elaborateness of structure; -the

so that when it makes a nest of the very same pattern, we can account for it only in one of two ways,- either that it is acting as a machine in accordance with its Nervous organization, or that its actions are di