Book Description

Excerpt from The Journal of Animal Behavior, 1911, Vol. 1 If we attempt to analyse the method by which an animal is able visually to recognize familiar objects it may well be sup posed that the impressions which it gains are either general or particular. As men recognize familiar forms and faces at a distance without definitely considering or perceiving the finer details of feature and expression, so animals by observing gross outlines and characteristic movements may draw conclusions as to the nature of the forms around them. Such generalized recognition of familiar objects may be considered, in part at least, to have resulted from an educational process. Its acqui sition is the result of long association with the objects in ques tion. Throughout this association an appreciation of certain finer distinctive differences, whether consciously or subcon sciously manifest, has been a fundamental factor in producing in the animal mind a concrete appreciation of the object's iden tity in terms of the whole. With the human mind such processes are of common occur rence. A stranger first met with is afterward recognized by the recollection of some peculiarity which has been impressed upon us. With further acquaintance we forget the peculiarity or it becomes subconscious, while recognition is based on the broader lines of general association. The systematic entomol ogist, by laborious examination of detailed structure, differen tiates between closely related species of insects hitherto unknown to him. But if he specializes upon the group, his recognition of the various familiar species forming it in time becomes almost intuitive, - he knows them by sight without consciously analysing their differential markings. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.