Full text: Nature versus natural selection

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snap-dragon. But no sooner does the corolla fall than 
the peduncle begins to curve inwards to the wall and 
usually contrives to tuck its seed vessels well into the 
brick-work again. 
As an illustration of migration, we may take the 
Selaginella convoluta, which is found in the arid deserts 
of Central America. “ In the dry season, when every 
particle of moisture is extracted from the soil, it is 
detached from its growing place, rolled up into a ball, 
and carried away by the violent equinoctial gales which 
prevail at the time in those regions—often to very great 
distances. It remains coiled up in this form for a 
considerable time, but if carried to a marsh or the 
margin of a stream, or any other moist place, it begins 
slowly to unfold itself and spread itself out flatly on the 
soil, assumes its former vigour and freshness, takes fresh 
root, developes its fructification and casts abroad its 
seed upon the air. When this new situation is dried up 
it resumes its old unsettled habits and, like an adventurous 
pilgrim, takes advantage of the wind to emigrate to a 
more favourable locality.” 
Now if these actions are the outcome of intelligence as 
much as the actions of animals, then the arguments already 
adduced will suffice to exclude the action of Natural 
Selection, seeing that intelligent adaptation will anticipate 
the slower process of Natural Selection. But if they are 
physical habits, without any mental element in them what 
ever, the problem of instinct does not arise, for by universal 
consent it does involve the presence of a mental element. 
To revert once more to the lowest form of animal life. 
We may suppose, for the sake of argument, that the 
actions of the simplest organisms are illustrations of reflex 
action, which have had their origin in the mutual inter 
action of the organism and its conditions. If there is any
	        
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