. Animal physiology. Physiology, Comparative. 540 IRRATIONALITY OF INSTINCT. guided in its ordinary building operations by such an amount of intelligence as would lead it to chose and execute its various movements with a design to accomplish certain ends, the same intelligence would direct it to leave these actions unperformed when the purpose no longer required it; instead of which, we see that the animal is impelled by an internal impulse to construct erections as nearly resembling those which it v/ould build-up on the banks of its native streams, as the materials and circumstances will perm
. Animal physiology. Physiology, Comparative. 540 IRRATIONALITY OF INSTINCT. guided in its ordinary building operations by such an amount of intelligence as would lead it to chose and execute its various movements with a design to accomplish certain ends, the same intelligence would direct it to leave these actions unperformed when the purpose no longer required it; instead of which, we see that the animal is impelled by an internal impulse to construct erections as nearly resembling those which it v/ould build-up on the banks of its native streams, as the materials and circumstances will permit.—Other ani- mals are, in like manner, occasionally conducted by their natural instincts to the performance of actions equally irra- tional, and quite incapable of answering the purpose which the particular instinct is destined to serve. Thus the Hen wdll sit upon an egg-shaped piece of chalk, as readily as upon her own qqq, being deceived without difficulty by the general similarity of its appearance; and the Flesh-fly lays its eggs in the petals of the carrion-flower, whose odour so much resembles that of tainted meat as evidently to furnish the same attraction to the Fig. 281.—Nest of Republican Grosbkak. 710. Societies like those of the Beaver are rare among Birds, whose associations are usually less perfect. There is. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Carpenter, William Benjamin, 1813-1885. London : H. G. Bohn
Size: 1733px × 1442px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorcarpente, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookyear1859
