The passage makes it quite clear that, in the light of modern research, our traditional assumptions about animal behaviour ------ .

Since early times it has been assumed that the actions
of animals are unconscious. Behaviour, in this view,
stems almost exclusively from instinct. If animals
behave in ways that seem pretty clever, they do so
without thinking about it. Animals may know things,
the argument goes, but they don't know that they
know. Or do they know? Recent research reports
suggest a startling depth of intelligence among
animals. Although no one can yet 'prove' the existence
of animal consciousness, the data offered make a
compelling case for at least considering it.