“What small child could resist sticking a twig down a burrow to unearth a field mouse, or picking up an injured bird for closer inspection?” (Melson)

Is it? It is certain that in developing psychology, early children behavior is predominantly based on mimicry; to be more specifically, the mimicry of adults, in most cases, their parents and adults in their household. If follows that the small child in Melson’s essay is more likely to learn such behavior externally from the adult rather than innate. On what ground is Melson assuming this?