When an object appears in the visual field, animals direct the head and eyes to it, and try to identify what it is. This consists of many processes. The early part constitutes orienting and the later part processes of visual discrimination. We analyzed pathways involved in head orienting and visual discrimination and their functions. Head orienting is controlled by two separate pathways from the superior colliculus to neck motoneurones, one is through the pontomedullary reticular formation, which is chiefly involved in the control of horizontal orienting, the other is through Forel's field H, which is chiefly concerned with vertical orienting. The posterior lateral suprasylvian visual area but not visual areas 17-18 is critically involved in two object discrimination and the frontal eye field acted as the cortical output after discrimination and sends commands to the SC for execution of orienting.