ing, that are provided by the native
constitution. Yet the whole business of relieving thirst is directed
by the native thirst-impulse, and to that extent is an instinctive
activity. And shall we say that so simple a matter as meeting this
organic need is below the dignity of psychology, and can have little
influence on the behavior of mankind? Hardly, when we think of the
role played by springs, wells and drinking places of all kinds in the
life of the race, of aqueducts and reservoirs, of all the beverages
that have been invented, and of all the people whose job it has been
to provide and dispense them. To be sure, any beverage with a taste,
or a "kick", is not simply a thirst-reliever, but makes some
additional appeal, good or bad; but all this simply illustrates the
way instincts become modified, by combination with other instincts,
and by the learning and fixing of various preparatory reactions that
were not provided, ready-made, in the native constitution. The
drinking instinct, or thirst impulse, is a very good example of this
whole class of organic instincts.

Instincts connected with hunger.

Here again, the reactions nearest to the end-result (food in the
stomach) are provided by nature. Sucking and swallowing appear at
birth, chewing with the appearance of the teeth; and the infant also
makes what seem to be instinctive movements of seeking the breast, as
well as movements of rejecting it when satiated and of spitting out
bad-tasting food. Putting food (and other things) into the mouth by
the hands seems almost instinctive, and yet it has to be fixed by
trial and error. Anything like definite food-seeking behavior,
amounting to a _hunting_ instinct, scarcely gets a chance to show
itself in {141} the human child, because his food is provided for him.
In many animals, hunting is a highly organized instinct; thus,
crouching, stalking, springing and teasing the mouse when caught, have
been proved to be instinctive in young cats. Some animals have
definite food-storing instincts also, and possibly food-storing shows
the acquisitive or collecting tendency in its lowest terms. Possibly,
that is to say, hunting and collecting, as well as disgust (primarily
of bad-tasting or bad-smelling food), are originally parts of the
food-getting behavior, having the general character of reactions
preparatory to eating. However this may be, we can easily see the
great importance of the hunger motive in human life; we have onl