Origin of Species Variorum

→ deriving any benefit from 1872

feeling the benefit of 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

→ instinctively. But it would be a serious error to suppose that the greater number of instincts have been acquired by habit in one generation, and then transmitted by inheritance to succeeding generations. 1872

instinctively. 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

→ It can be clearly shown that 1872

But it would be 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

→ wonderful instincts with which we are acquainted, namely, those of the hive-bee and of many ants, could not possibly 1872

serious error to suppose that the greater number of instincts 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

↑ 1 blocks not present in 1872; present in 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

It can be clearly shown that the most wonderful instincts with which we are acquainted, namely, those of the hive-bee and of many ants, could not possibly have been thus acquired.

→ in many cases of 1872

of quite 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

Several other points of resemblance between instincts and habits could be pointed out. As in repeating a well-known song, so in instincts, one action follows another by a sort of rhythm; if a person be interrupted in a song, or in repeating anything by rote, he is generally forced to go back to recover the habitual train of

thought:

thought;

so P. Huber found it was with a caterpillar, which makes a very complicated hammock; for if he took a caterpillar which had completed its hammock up to, say, the sixth stage of construction, and put it into a hammock completed up only to the third stage, the caterpillar simply re-performed the fourth, fifth, and sixth stages of construction. If, however, a caterpillar were taken out of a hammock made up, for instance, to the third stage, and were put into one finished up to the sixth stage, so that much of its

work,

work

was already done for it, far from →deriving any benefit from this, it was much embarrassed,

and,

and

in order to complete its hammock, seemed forced to start from the third stage, where it had left off, and thus tried to complete the already finished work.

If we suppose any habitual action to become inherited— and

I think

....

it can be shown that this does sometimes happen— then the resemblance between what originally was a habit and an instinct becomes so close as not to be distinguished. If Mozart, instead of playing the pianoforte at three years old with wonderfully little practice, had played a tune with no practice at all, he might truly be said to have done so →instinctively. But it would be a serious error to suppose that the greater number of instincts have been acquired by habit in one generation, and then transmitted by inheritance to succeeding generations. →It can be clearly shown that

the most

→wonderful instincts with which we are acquainted, namely, those of the hive-bee and of many ants, could not possibly have been acquired by

habit

one

generation,

and

then

transmitted

inheritance

succeeding

generations.

↑

It will be universally admitted that instincts are as important as corporeal

structure

structures

for the welfare of each species, under its present conditions of life. Under changed conditions of life, it is at least possible that slight modifications of instinct might be profitable to a species; and if it can be shown that instincts do vary ever so little, then I can see no difficulty in natural selection preserving and continually accumulating variations of instinct to any extent that

may be

was

profitable. It is thus, as I believe, that all the most complex and wonderful instincts have originated. As modifications of corporeal structure arise from, and are increased by, use or habit, and are diminished or lost by disuse, so I do not doubt it has been with instincts. But I believe that the effects of habit are →in many cases of subordinate importance to the effects of the natural selection of what