1 42 TH E M IN D O F T HE BUY E Rbee because experience has tau ght it that such a procedu re
b rings with it satisfactory consequences. A t no stage o f
the c omplex process can intelli gence, bas ed o n individual
experience, be admitted as a facto r. I f there be experience,
it must be the inherited experience o f ancestors who ha ve,
each in tu rn, done muc h the same.”
Th is ill ustra tio n sh ow s th e i nva riable se
q uence wi th whi ch th e simpl e comp onents of
a compl ex insti nc tive a ct foll ow ea ch oth er.
Up on sup erfici al exami nati on o ne migh t
c oncl ude th a t i n stinc tive a c ts c a nn o t be di f
ferentiat ed on e from th e o th e r, b ec a use
seve ral m ay c on tain iden tic al el em en tary a ct s.
Thi s i s t rue, bu t w e sh al l find on cl ose r ex
a min a ti on, th a t. th ough th e el em en ta ry c om
p o nents of several in stin ctive a c ts may, b e
i den ti cal , still i n e ac h i nstin ctive p a ttern th ey
are linke d toge th er i n a unique orde r. F o r
exa mpl e, th ough th e simpl e ac t of fl ushing
i n th e fa ce may oc c ur i n c onn ec tion wi th
several complic a ted ins tinc tive ac ti ons, suc h
a s a c ts o f shyne ss, emba rrassm en t, mo desty,
eve n o f p ugn acity ; s till i t c ome s surrounded
by o th e r el emen tary a c ts wh ich give i t in
e a ch c a se, a differen t set ting. We th u s sa y
t ha t each ins tin ctive ac t h a s a di stinc t pat te rn
rega rdless o f th e cl oth of which i t is m ade.
3. O ur defini tion n ex t emph a sizes th e fa c t