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 18-2 w. H. WINCH: But this is not, strictly speaking, exercising the instinct, it is diverting its muscular concomitants, and that perhaps is what is meant in the above quotation from Prof. Groos. But it seems difficult to connect this dictum with his general theory, viz., that play is a divinely appointed means of pre- paration for the work of life. For, according to this, play neither strengthens instincts nor creates new ones, but rather tones down old ones. I can understand the view that re- gards the young animal as possessing and exercising organs in embryo before their extended and serious use in adult life gives them a ' survival value ' ; and that play is just a pre- liminary practice (Vorubung) or preparatory practice (Einii- bung) of these embryonic organs. This is an intelligible hypothesis, but it is difficult to maintain it in conjunction with the view that the function of play is to tone down the old and ease its decay, and not to strengthen growing in- stincts. Yet I do not think I entirely misunderstand Prof. Groos, for he is very loth to call love-plays plays at all, because love-play " differs from all that we have previously considered in being not mere practice preparatory to the exercise of an instinct, but rather its actual working ". But he further says: 1 " It would seem to be firmly established that, among birds at least, the arts of courtship are practised as youthful sport before the time for reproduction," and, for my part, I do not know how we should class all the philander- ings and flirtings of the human male and female from fairly early childhood unless we call them play. Love-plays seem to me the most indubitable case of a preparation or practice for later serious activities, though even here there are con- siderations which should make us pause. We cannot apply the doctrine of concomitant variations with success ; we cannot say, the more preparation of this sort, the more success in rearing a family ; and the ' new woman ' is, I believe, as a child, as partial to dolls as other women. We do not usually regard precocity in sexual matters as a good thing at all. The doctrine that practice makes per- fect has in this connexion often borne immoral consequences. The distinction, however, between preparation and prac- tice on the one hand and exercise on the other gives rise to many difficulties. Is a boy playing with a gun exercising his soldierly instinct, or is he only preparing to exercise that instinct ? Is a girl playing with a doll preparing for the development of the maternal instinct, or exercising an em- bryonic maternal instinct? 1 Play of Animals, p. 256.