Essay on Instinct

An introduction by R. B. Freeman

This forms an appendix to Romanes' Mental evolution in animals, 1883. It was read at a meeting of the Linnean Society of London on 6 December, 1883 (see F1804), but it was not published in the Journal, although a page proof copy, for pages 347-378, of Volume 17, No. 102, due to be issued for February 29, 1884, survives at Christ's College, Cambridge [CC-Oldlibrary0.13.9 and an annotated proof is in the University of Virginia Library, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, UVa-QH361-1883.D37-P6]. There is another copy of this proof, with corrections, at the Linnean Society of London. The paper was doubtless withdrawn because its content had already appeared in the book late in the previous year.

The manuscript forms part of Chapter X of the second part of Darwin's 'big book' on the origin of species. Stauffer, in F1583 (1975, pp. 463-466) shows that folios 50-116, except 80-97, were printed complete, as well as a few other passages woven into the text. He also gives a new transcript of the whole and discusses its history, quoting from Ethel Duncan Romanes' life of her late husband (1896).

Darwin, C. R. 1883. Essay on Instinct. In Romanes, G. J. Mental evolution in animals. With a posthumous essay on instinct by Charles Darwin. London: Kegan Paul Trench & Co. pp. 355-384. Text Image Text & image F1434

French

Darwin, C. R. 1887. Über den Instinkt. In G. J. Romanes, Die geistige Entwicklung im Tierreich. Leipzig: E. Günther. Text Image PDF (Interim images from Bibliothèque nationale de France http://gallica.bnf.fr) F1445

From: Freeman, R. B. 1977. The works of Charles Darwin: an annotated bibliographical handlist. 2d ed. Dawson: Folkstone.

NOTE: With thanks to The Charles Darwin Trust and Dr Mary Whitear for use of the Bibliographical Handlist. Copyright. All rights reserved. For private academic use only. Not for republication or reproduction in whole or in part without the prior written consent of The Charles Darwin Trust, 31 Baalbec Road, London N5 1QN.

Corrections and additions copyright John van Wyhe, The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online - National University of Singapore.