第14章

Thesefewlines,whicharetheoutcomenotofaheedlesspenbutofmaturereflection,willsetpeopletalkingofhatefulparadoxes。Wewillletthemtalkandwewillsubmitthefollowingpropositiontoouradversaries:takeanentomologistofthehighestmerit,aLatreille（PierreAndreLatreille（1762—1833）,oneofthefoundersofmodernentomologicalscience。——Translator\'sNote。）,forinstance,versedinallthedetailsofthestructureofinsectsbututterlyunacquaintedwiththeirhabits。Heknowsthedeadinsectbetterthananybody,buthehasneveroccupiedhimselfwiththelivinginsect。Asaclassifier,heisbeyondcompare;andthatisall。WeaskhimtoexamineaBee,thefirstthatcomestohand,andtonamehertradefromhertools。

Come,behonest:couldhe？Whowoulddareputhimtosuchatest？Haspersonalexperiencenotfullyconvincedusthatthemereexaminationoftheinsectcantellusnothingaboutitsparticularindustry？Thebasketsonitslegsandthebrushonitsabdomenwillcertainlyinformusthatitcollectshoneyandpollen;butitsspecialartwillremainanuttersecret,notwithstandingallthescrutinyofthemicroscope。Inourownindustries,theplanedenotesthejoiner,thetrowelthemason,thescissorsthetailor,theneedletheseamstress。

Arethingsthesameinanimalindustry？Justshowus,ifyouplease,thetrowelthatisacertainsignofthemason—insect,thechiselthatisapositivecharacteristicofthecarpenter—insect,theironthatisanauthenticmarkofthepinking—insect;andasyoushowthem,say:

\'Thisonecutsleaves;thatoneboreswood;thatothermixescement。\'

Andsoon,specifyingthetradefromthetool。

Youcannotdoit,noonecan;theworker\'sspecialityremainsanimpenetrablesecretuntildirectobservationintervenes。Doesnotthisincapacity,evenofthemostexpert,proclaimloudlythatanimalindustry,initsinfinitevariety,isduetoothercausesbesidesthepossessionoftools？Certainly,eachofthosespecialistsrequiresimplements;buttheyareroughandreadyimplements,goodforallsortsofpurposes,likethetoolofFranklin\'sworkman。Thesamenotchedmandiblethatreapscotton,cutsleavesandmouldspitchalsokneadsmud,scrapesdecayedwoodandmixesmortar;thesametarsusthatmanufacturescottonanddiskscutoutofleavesisnolesscleverattheartofmakingearthenpartitions,clayturretsandgravelmosaics。

Whatthenisthereasonofthesethousandindustries？Inthelightoffacts,Icanseebutone:imaginationgoverningmatter。Aprimordialinspiration,atalentantecedenttotheactualform,directsthetoolinsteadofbeingsubordinatetoit。Theinstrumentdoesnotdeterminethemannerofindustry;thetooldoesnotmaketheworkman。Atthebeginningthereisanobject,aplan,inviewofwhichtheanimalacts,unconsciously。Haveweeyestoseewith,ordoweseebecausewehaveeyes？Doesthefunctioncreatetheorgan,ortheorganthefunction？Ofthetwoalternatives,theinsectproclaimsthefirst。Itsays:

\'MyindustryisnotimposeduponmebytheimplementwhichIpossess;

whatIdoistousetheimplement,suchasitis,forthetalentwithwhichIamgifted。\'

Itsaystous,initsownway:

\'Thefunctionhasdeterminedtheorgan;visionisthereasonoftheeye。\'

Inshort,itrepeatstousVirgil\'sprofoundreflection:

\'Mensagitatmolem\';\'Mindmovesmatter。\'

CHAPTER11。THEPOISONOFTHEBEE。

IhavediscussedelsewherethestingsadministeredbytheWaspstotheirprey。Nowchemistrycomesandputsaspokeinthewheelofourarguments,tellingusthatthepoisonoftheBeesisnotthesameasthatoftheWasps。TheBees\'iscomplexandformedoftwoelements,acidandalkaline。TheWasps\'possessonlytheacidelement;anditistothisveryacidityandnottothe\'so—called\'skilloftheoperatorsthatthepreservationoftheprovisionsisdue。（Theauthor\'snumerousessaysontheWaspswillformthecontentsoflaterworks。Inthemeantime,cf。"InsectLife,"byJ。H。Fabre,translatedbytheauthorof"MademoiselleMori":chapters4to12,and14to18;

and"TheLifeandLoveoftheInsect,"byJ。HenriFabre,translatedbyAlexanderTeixeiradeMattos:chapters11,12and17。——

Translator\'sNote。）

Admittingthatthereisadifferenceinthenatureofthevenom,I

failtoseethatthishasanybearingontheprobleminhand。Icaninoculatewithvariousliquids——acids,weaknitricacid,alkalis,ammonia,neutralbodies,spiritsofwine,essenceofturpentine——andobtainconditionssimilartothoseofthevictimsofthepredatoryinsects,thatistosay,inertiawiththepersistenceofadullvitalitybetrayedbythemovementsofthemouth—partsandantennae。I

amnot,ofcourse,invariablysuccessful,forthereisneitherdelicacynorprecisioninmypoisonedneedleandthewoundwhichitmakesdoesnotbearcomparisonwiththetinypunctureoftheunerringnaturalsting;but,afterall,itisrepeatedoftenenoughtoputtheobjectofmyexperimentbeyonddoubt。Ishouldaddthat,toachievesuccess,wemusthaveasubjectwithaconcentratedganglioniccolumn,suchastheWeevil,theBuprestis,theDung—beetleandothers。Paralysisisthenobtainedwithbutasingleprick,madeatthepointwhichtheCercerishasrevealedtous,thepointatwhichthecorseletjoinstherestofthethorax。Inthatcase,theleastpossiblequantityoftheacridliquidisinstilled,aquantitytoosmalltoendangerthepatient\'slife。Withscatterednervouscentres,eachrequiringaseparateoperation,thismethodisimpracticable:

thevictimwoulddieoftheexcessofcorrosivefluid。Iamquiteashamedtohavetorecalltheseoldexperiments。HadtheybeenresumedandcarriedonbyothersofgreaterauthoritythanI,weshouldhaveescapedtheobjectionsofchemistry。

Whenlightissoeasytoobtain,whygoinsearchofscientificobscurity？Whytalkofacidoralkalinereactions,whichprovenothing,whenitissosimpletohaverecoursetofacts,whichproveeverything？Beforedeclaringthatthehuntinginsects\'poisonhaspreservativepropertiesmerelybecauseofitsacidqualities,itwouldhavebeenwelltoenquireifthestingofaBee,withitsacidanditsalkali,couldnotperchanceproducethesameeffectsasthatoftheparalyser,whoseskilliscategoricallydenied。Thechemistsnevergavethisathought。Simplicityisnotalwayswelcomeinourlaboratories。Itismydutytorepairthatlittleomission。IproposetoenquireifthepoisonoftheBee,thechiefoftheApidae,issuitableforasurgerythatparalyseswithoutkilling。

Theenquirybristleswithdifficulties,thoughthisisnoreasonforabandoningit。Firstandforemost,IcannotpossiblyoperatewiththeBeejustasIcatchher。TimeaftertimeImaketheattempt,withoutoncesucceeding;andpatiencebecomesexhausted。Thestinghastopenetrateatadefinitepoint,exactlywheretheWasp\'sstingwouldhaveentered。Myintractablecaptivetossesaboutangrilyandstingsatrandom,neverwhereIwish。Myfingersgethurtevenoftenerthanthepatient。Ihaveonlyonemeansofgainingalittlecontrolovertheindomitabledart;andthatistocutofftheBee\'sabdomenwithmyscissors,toseizethestumpinstantlywithafineforcepsandtoapplythetipatthespotwherethestingistoenter。

EverybodyknowsthattheBee\'sabdomenneedsnoordersfromtheheadtogoondrawingitsweaponforafewinstantslongerandtoavengethedeceasedbeforebeingitselfovercomewithdeath\'sinertia。Thisvindictivepersistencyservesmetoperfection。Thereisanothercircumstanceinmyfavour:thebarbedstingremainswhereitis,whichenablesmetoascertaintheexactspotpierced。Aneedlewithdrawnassoonasinsertedwouldleavemedoubtful。Icanalso,whenthetransparencyofthetissuespermits,perceivethedirectionoftheweapon,whetherperpendicularandfavourabletomyplans,orslantingandthereforevalueless。Thosearetheadvantages。

Thedisadvantagesarethese:theamputatedabdomen,thoughmoretractablethantheentireBee,isstillfarfromsatisfyingmywishes。Itgivescapriciousstartsandunexpectedpricks。Iwantittostinghere。No,itbalksmyforcepsandgoesandstingselsewhere:

notveryfaraway,Iadmit;butittakessolittletomissthenerve—

centrewhichwewishtogetat。Iwantittogoinperpendicularly。

No,inthegreatmajorityofcasesitentersobliquelyandpassesonlythroughtheepidermis。Thisisenoughtoshowhowmanyfailuresareneededtomakeonesuccess。

Noristhisall。IshallbetellingnobodyanythingnewwhenIrecallthefactthattheBee\'sstingisverypainful。Thatofthehuntinginsects,onthecontrary,isinmostcasesinsignificant。Myskin,whichisnolesssensitivethananother\'s,paysnoattentiontoit:I

handleSphex,AmmophilaeandScoliaewithoutheedingtheirlancet—

pricks。Ihavesaidthisbefore;Iremindthereaderofitbecauseofthematterinhand。Intheabsenceofwell—knownchemicalorotherproperties,wehavereallybutonemeansofcomparingthetworespectivepoisons;andthatistheamountofpainproduced。Alltherestismystery。Besides,nopoison,noteventhatoftheRattlesnake,hashithertorevealedthecauseofitsdreadeffects。

Acting,therefore,undertheinstructionofthatoneguide,pain,I

placetheBee\'sstingfarabovethatofthepredatoryinsectsasanoffensiveweapon。Asingleoneofitsthrustsmustequalandoftensurpassinefficaciousnesstherepeatedwoundsoftheother。Forallthesereasons——anexcessivedisplayofenergy;thevariablequantityofthevirusinoculatedbyawrigglingabdomenwhichnolongermeasurestheemissionbydoses;astingwhichIcannotdirectasI

please;awoundwhichmaybedeeporsuperficial,theweaponenteringperpendicularlyorobliquely,touchingthenerve—centresoraffectingonlythesurroundingtissues——myexperimentsoughttoproducethemostvariedresults。

Iobtain,infact,everypossiblekindofdisorder:ataxy,temporarydisablement,permanentdisablement,completeparalysis,partialparalysis。Someofmystrickenvictimsrecover;othersdieafterabriefinterval。Itwouldbeanunnecessarywasteofspacetorecordinthisvolumemyhundredandoneattempts。Thedetailswouldformtediousreadingandbeofverylittleadvantage,asinthissortofstudyitisimpossibletomarshalone\'sfactswithanyregularity。I

will,therefore,sumthemupinafewexamples。

AcolossalmemberoftheGrasshoppertribe,themostpowerfulinmydistrict,Decticusverrucivorus（ThisDecticushasreceiveditsspecificnameofverrucivorus,orWart—eating,becauseitisemployedbythepeasantsinSwedenandelsewheretobiteoffthewartsontheirfingers。——Translator\'sNote。）,isprickedatthebaseoftheneck,onthelineofthefore—legs,atthemedianpoint。Theprickgoesstraightdown。ThespotisthesameasthatpiercedbythestingoftheslayerofCricketsandEphippigers。（AspeciesofGreenGrasshopper。TheSphexparalysesCricketsandGrasshopperstoprovidefoodforhergrubs。Cf。"InsectLife":chapters6to12。——

Translator\'sNote。）Thegiantess,assoonasstung,kicksfuriously,floundersabout,fallsonhersideandisunabletogetupagain。Thefore—legsareparalysed;theothersarecapableofmoving。Lyingsideways,ifnotinterferedwith,theinsectinafewmomentsgivesnosignsoflifebeyondaflutteringoftheantennaeandpalpi,apulsationoftheabdomenandaconvulsiveupliftingoftheovipositor;but,ifirritatedwithaslighttouch,itstirsitsfourhind—legs,especiallythethirdpair,thosewiththebigthighs,whichkickvigorously。Nextday,theconditionismuchthesame,withanaggravationoftheparalysis,whichhasnowattackedthemiddle—

legs。Onthedayafterthat,thelegsdonotmove,buttheantennae,thepalpiandtheovipositorcontinuetoflutteractively。ThisistheconditionoftheEphippigerstabbedthreetimesinthethoraxbytheLanguedocianSphex。Onepointaloneismissing,amostimportantpoint:thelongpersistenceofaremnantoflife。Infact,onthefourthday,theDecticusisdead;herdarkcolourtellsmeso。

Therearetwoconclusionstobedrawnfromthisexperimentanditiswelltoemphasisethem。First,theBee\'spoisonissoactivethatasingledagger—thrustaimedatanervouscentrekillsinfourdaysoneofthelargestoftheOrthoptera（AnorderofinsectsincludingtheGrasshoppers,Locusts,Cockroaches,MantesandEarwigs,inadditiontotheStick—andLeaf—insects,Termites,Dragon—flies,May—flies,Book—liceandothers。——Translator\'sNote。）,thoughaninsectofpowerfulconstitution。Secondly,theparalysisatfirstaffectsonlythelegswhoseganglionisattacked;next,itspreadsslowlytothesecondpair;lastly,itreachesthethird。Thelocaleffectisdiffused。Thisdiffusion,whichmightwelltakeplaceinthevictimsofthepredatoryinsects,playsnopartinthelatters\'methodofoperation。Theegg,whichwillbelaidimmediatelyafterwards,demandsthecompleteinertiaofthepreyfromtheoutset。Henceallthenerve—centresthatgovernlocomotionmustbenumbedinstantaneouslybythevirus。

IcannowunderstandwhythepoisonofthepredatoryWaspsiscomparativelypainlessinitseffects。IfitpossessedthestrengthofthatoftheBee,asinglestabwouldimpairthevitalityoftheprey,whileleavingitforsomedayscapableofviolentmovementsthatwouldbeverydangeroustothehuntressandespeciallytotheegg。Moremoderateinitsaction,itisinstilledatthedifferentnervouscentres,asisthecasemoreparticularlywiththecaterpillars。（CaterpillarsarethepreyoftheAmmophila,whichadministersaseparatestabtoeachoftheseveralganglia。——

Translator\'sNote。）Inthisway,therequisiteimmobilityisobtainedatonce;and,notwithstandingthenumberofwounds,thevictimisnotaspeedycorpse。Tothemarvelsoftheparalysers\'talentwemustaddonemore:theirwonderfulpoison,thestrengthofwhichisregulatedbydelicatedoses。TheBeerevengingherselfintensifiesthevirulenceofherpoison;theSphexputtinghergrubs\'provendertosleepweakensit,reducesittowhatisstrictlynecessary。

Onemoreinstanceofnearlythesamekind。IprefertotakemysubjectsfromamongtheOrthoptera,which,owingtotheirimposingsizeandthethinnessoftheirskinatthepointstobeattacked,lendthemselvesbetterthanotherinsectstomydelicatemanipulations。ThearmourofaBuprestis,thefatblubberofaRosechafer—grub,thecontortionsofacaterpillarpresentalmostinsuperableobstaclestothesuccessofastingwhichitisnotinmypowertodirect。TheinsectwhichInowoffertotheBee\'slancetistheGreatGreenGrasshopper（Locustaviridissima）,theadultfemale。

Theprickisgiveninthemedianlineofthefore—legs。

Theeffectisoverwhelming。Fortwoorthreesecondstheinsectwrithesinconvulsionsandthenfallsonitsside,motionlessthroughout,saveintheovipositorandtheantennae。Nothingstirssolongasthecreatureisleftalone;but,ifItickleitwithahair—

pencil,thefourhind—legsmovesharplyandgripthepoint。Asforthefore—legs,smittenintheirnerve—centre,theyarequitelifeless。Thesameconditionismaintainedforthreedayslonger。Onthefifthday,thecreepingparalysisleavesnothingfreebuttheantennaewavingtoandfroandtheabdomenthrobbingandliftinguptheovipositor。Onthesixth,theGrasshopperbeginstoturnbrown;

sheisdead。Exceptthatthevestigeoflifeismorepersistent,thecaseisthesameasthatoftheDecticus。Ifwecanprolongtheduration,weshallhavethevictimoftheSphex。

Butfirstletuslookintotheeffectofaprickadministeredelsewherethanoppositethethoracicganglia。IcauseafemaleEphippigertobestungintheabdomen,aboutthemiddleofthelowersurface。Thepatientdoesnotseemtotroublegreatlyaboutherwound:sheclambersgallantlyupthesidesofthebell—jarunderwhichIhaveplacedher;shegoesonhoppingasbefore。Betterstill,shesetsaboutbrowsingthevine—leafwhichIhavegivenherforherconsolation。Afewhourspassandthewholethingisforgotten。Shehasmadearapidandcompleterecovery。

Asecondiswoundedinthreeplacesontheabdomen:inthemiddleandoneitherside。Onthefirstday,theinsectseemstohavefeltnothing;Iseenosignofstiffnessinitsmovements。Nodoubtitissufferingacutely;butthesestoicskeeptheirtroublestothemselves。Nextday,theEphippigerdragsherlegsalittleandwalkssomewhatslowly。Twodaysmore;and,whenlaidonherback,sheisunabletoturnover。Onthefifthday,shesuccumbs。Thistime,I

haveexceededthedose;theshockofreceivingthreestabswastoomuchforher。

Andsowiththeothers,downtothesensitiveCricket,who,prickedonceintheabdomen,recoversinonedayfromthepainfulexperienceandgoesbacktoherlettuce—leaf。But,ifthewoundisrepeatedafewtimes,deathensueswithinamoreorlessshortperiod。Imakeanexception,amongthosewhopaytributetomycruelcuriosity,oftheRosechafer—grubs,whodefythreeandfourneedle—thrusts。Theywillcollapsesuddenlyandlieoutstretched,flabbyandlifeless;and,justwhenIamthinkingthemdeadorparalysed,thehardycreatureswillrecoverconsciousness,movealongontheirbacks（ThisistheusualmodeofprogressionoftheCetonia—orRosechafer—grub。Cf。

"TheLifeandLoveoftheInsect":chapter11。——Translator\'sNote。）,burythemselvesinthemould。Icanobtainnopreciseinformationfromthem。True,theirthinlyscatteredciliaandtheirbreastplateoffatformapalisadeandarampartagainstthesting,whichnearlyalwaysentersonlyalittlewayandthatobliquely。

LetusleavetheseunmanageableonesandkeeptotheOrthoperon,whichismoreamenabletoexperiment。Adagger—thrust,weweresaying,killsitifdirecteduponthegangliaofthethorax;itthrowsitintoatransientstateofdiscomfortifdirecteduponanotherpoint。Itis,therefore,byitsdirectactionuponthenervouscentresthatthepoisonrevealsitsformidableproperties。

Togeneralizeandsaythatdeathisalwaysnearathandwhenthestingisadministeredinthethoracicgangliawouldbegoingtoofar:

itoccursfrequently,butthereareagoodmanyexceptions,resultingfromcircumstancesimpossibletodefine。Icannotcontrolthedirectionofthesting,thedepthattained,thequantityofpoisonshed;andthestumpoftheBeeisveryfarfrommakingupformyshortcomings。Wehaveherenotthecunningsword—playofthepredatoryinsect,butacasualblow,ill—placedandill—regulated。

Anyaccidentispossible,therefore,fromthegravesttothemildest。

Letusmentionsomeofthemoreinteresting。

AnadultPrayingMantis（Mantisreligiosa,so—calledbecausethetoothedfore—legs,inwhichitcatchesandkillsitsprey,adopt,whenfolded,anattituderesemblingthatofprayer。——Translator\'sNote。）isprickedlevelwiththeattachmentofthepredatorylegs。

Hadthewoundbeeninthecentre,Ishouldhavewitnessedanoccurrencewhich,althoughIhaveseenitmanytimes,stillarousesmyliveliestemotionandsurprise。Thisisthesuddenparalysisofthewarrior\'ssavageharpoons。Nomachinerystopsmoreabruptlywhenthemainspringbreaks。Asarule,theinertiaofthepredatorylegsattackstheothersinthecourseofadayortwo;andthepalsiedonediesinlessthanaweek。Butthepresentstingisnotintheexactcentre。Thedarthasenterednearthebaseoftherightleg,atlessthanamillimetre（。039inch。——Translator\'sNote。）fromthemedianpoint。Thatlegisparalysedatonce;theotherisnot;andtheinsectemploysittothedetrimentofmyunsuspectingfingers,whichareprickedtobleeding—pointbythespikeatthetip。Notuntilto—

morrowisthelegwhichwoundedmeto—dayrenderedmotionless。Thistime,theparalysisgoesnofarther。TheMantismovesalongquitewell,withhercorseletproudlyraised,inherusualattitude;butthepredatoryfore—arms,insteadofbeingfoldedagainstthechest,readyforattack,hanglifelessandopen。Ikeepthecripplefortwelvedayslonger,duringwhichsherefusesallnourishment,beingincapableofusinghertongstoseizethepreyandliftittohermouth。Theprolongedabstinencekillsher。

Somesufferfromlocomotorataxy。MynotesrecallanEphippigerwho,prickedintheprothoraxawayfromthemedianline,retainedtheuseofhersixlimbswithoutbeingabletowalkorclimbforlackofco—

ordinationinhermovements。Asingularawkwardnessleftherwaveringbetweengoingbackandgoingforward,betweenturningtotherightandturningtotheleft。

Somearesmittenwithsemiparalysis。ACetonia—grub,prickedawayfromthecentreonalevelwiththefore—legs,hasherrightsideflaccid,spreadout,incapableofcontracting,whiletheleftsideswells,wrinklesandcontracts。Sincethelefthalfnolongerreceivesthesymmetricalcooperationoftherighthalf,thegrub,insteadofcurlingintothenormalvolute,closesitsspiralononesideandleavesitwideopenontheother。Theconcentrationofthenervousapparatus,poisonedbythevenomdownonesideofthebodyonly,alongitudinalhalf,explainsthiscondition,whichisthemostremarkableofall。

Thereisnothingtobegainedbymultiplyingtheseexamples。WehaveseenprettyclearlythegreatvarietyofresultsproducedbythehaphazardstingofaBee\'sabdomen;letusnowcometothecruxofthematter。CantheBee\'spoisonreducethepreytotheconditionrequiredbythepredatoryWasp？Yes,Ihaveproveditbyexperiment;

buttheproofcallsforsomuchpatiencethatitseemedtometosufficewhenobtainedonceforeachspecies。Insuchdifficultconditions,withapoisonofexcessivestrength,asinglesuccessisconclusiveproof;thethingispossiblesolongasitoccursonce。

AfemaleEphippigerisstungatthemedianpoint,justalittleinfrontofthefore—legs。Convulsivemovementslastingforafewsecondsarefollowedbyafalltooneside,withpulsationsoftheabdomen,flutteringsoftheantennaeandafewfeeblemovementsofthelegs。Thetarsiclingfirmlytothehair—pencilwhichIholdouttothem。Iplacetheinsectonitsback。Itliesmotionless。ItsstateisabsolutelythesameasthattowhichtheLanguedocianSphex（Cf。"InsectLife":chapter10。——Translator\'sNote。）reducesherEphippigers。Forthreeweeksonend,IseerepeatedinallitsdetailsthespectacletowhichIhavebeenaccustomedinthevictimsextractedfromtheburrowsortakenfromthehuntress:thewide—openmandibles,thequiveringpalpiandtarsi,theovipositorshudderingconvulsively,theabdomenthrobbingatlongintervals,thesparkofliferekindledatthetouchofapencil。Inthefourthweek,thesesignsoflife,whichhavegraduallyweakened,disappear,buttheinsectstillremainsirreproachablyfresh。Atlastamonthpasses;

andtheparalysedcreaturebeginstoturnbrown。Itisover;deathhascome。

IhavethesamesuccesswithaCricketandalsowithaPrayingMantis。Inallthreecases,fromthepointofviewoflong—maintainedfreshnessandofthesignsoflifeprovedbyslightmovements,theresemblancebetweenmyvictimandthoseofthepredatoryinsectsissogreatthatnoSphexandnoTachyteswouldhavedisownedtheproductofmydevices。MyCricket,myEphippiger,myMantishadthesamefreshnessastheirs;theypreserveditastheirsdidforaperiodamplysufficienttoallowofthegrubs\'completeevolution。

Theyprovedtome,inthemostconclusivemanner,theyprovetoallwhomitmayinterest,thatthepoisonoftheBees,leavingitshideousviolenceononeside,doesnotdifferinitseffectsfromthepoisonofthepredatoryWasps。Aretheyalkalineoracid？Thequestionisanidleoneinthisconnection。Bothofthemintoxicate,derange,torpifythenervouscentresandthusproduceeitherdeathorparalysis,accordingtothemethodofinoculation。Forthemoment,thatisall。Nooneisyetabletosaythelastwordontheactionsofthosepoisons,soterribleininfinitesimaldoses。Butonthepointunderdiscussionweneednolongerbeignorant:theWaspowesthepreservationofhergrub\'sprovisionsnottoanyspecialqualitiesofherpoisonbuttotheextremeprecisionofhersurgery。

AlastandmoreplausibleobjectionisthatraisedbyDarwinwhenhesaidthattherewerenofossilremainsofinstincts。And,iftherewere,Omaster,whatwouldtheyteachus？Notverymuchmorethanwhatwelearnfromtheinstinctsofto—day。Doesnotthegeologistmaketheerstwhilecarcasesliveanewinourmindsinthelightoftheworldasweseeit？Withnothingbutanalogytoguidethem,hedescribeshowsomesaurianlivedinthejurassicage;therearenofossilremainsofhabits,butneverthelesshecantellusplentyaboutthem,thingsworthyofcredence,becausethepresentteacheshimthepast。Letusdoalittleashedoes。

IwillsupposeaprecursoroftheCalicurgi（TheCalicurgus,orPompilus,isaHuntingWasp,feedingherlarvaeonSpiders。Cf。"TheLifeandLoveoftheInsect":chapter12。——Translator\'sNote。）

dwellingintheprehistoriccoal—forests。HerpreywassomehideousScorpion,thatfirst—bornoftheArachnida。HowdidtheHymenopteronmastertheterribleprey？Analogytellsus,bythemethodsofthepresentslayerofTarantulae。Itdisarmedtheadversary;itparalysedthevenomousstingbyastrokeadministeredatapointwhichwecoulddetermineforcertainbytheanimal\'sanatomy。Unlessthiswasthewayithappened,theassailantmusthaveperished,firststabbedandthendevouredbytheprey。Thereisnogettingawayfromit:eithertheprecursoroftheCalicurgi,thatslaughtererofScorpions,knewhertradethoroughly,orelsethecontinuationofherracebecameimpossible,evenasitwouldbeimpossibletokeepuptheraceoftheTarantula—killerwithoutthedagger—thrustthatparalysestheSpider\'spoison—fangs。Thefirstwho,greatlydaring,pinkedtheScorpionofthecoal—seamswasalreadyanexpertfencer;thefirsttocometogripswiththeTarantulahadanunerringknowledgeofherdangeroussurgery。Theleasthesitation,theslightestspeculation;

andtheywerelost。Thefirstteacherwouldalsohavebeenthelast,withnodisciplestotakeupherworkandperfectit。

Butfossilinstincts,theyinsist,wouldshowusintermediarystages,first,secondandthirdrungs;theywouldshowusthegradualpassingfromthecasualandveryincorrectattempttotheperfectpractice,thefruitoftheages;withtheiraccidentaldifferences,theywouldgiveustermsofcomparisonwherewithtotracemattersfromthesimpletothecomplex。Nevermindaboutthat,mymasters:ifyouwantvariedinstinctsinwhichtoseekthesourceofthecomplexbymeansofthesimple,itisnotnecessarytosearchthefoliationsofthecoal—seamsandthesuccessivelayersoftherocks,thosearchivesoftheprehistoricworld;thepresentdayaffordstocontemplationaninexhaustibletreasuryrealizingperhapseverythingthatcanemergefromthelimboofpossibility。Inwhatwillsoonbehalfacenturyofstudy,Ihavecaughtbutatinyglimpseofaverytinycorneroftherealmofinstinct;andtheharvestgatheredoverwhelmsmewithitsvariety:IdonotyetknowtwospeciesofpredatoryWaspswhosemethodsareexactlythesame。

Onegivesasinglestrokeofthedagger,asecondtwo,athirdthree,afourthnineorten。Onestabshereandtheotherthere;andneitherisimitatedbythenext,whoattackselsewhere。Thisoneinjuresthecephaliccentresandproducesdeath;thatonerespectsthemandproducesparalysis。Somesqueezethecervicalgangliatoobtainatemporarytorpor;othersknownothingoftheeffectsofcompressingthebrain。Afewmakethepreydisgorge,lestitshoneyshouldpoisontheoffspring;themajoritydonotresorttopreventivemanipulations。Herearesomethatfirstdisarmthefoe,whocarriespoisoneddaggers;yonderareothersandmorenumerous,whohavenoprecautionstotakebeforemurderingtheunarmedprey。Inthepreliminarystruggle,Iknowsomewhograbtheirvictimsbytheneck,bytherostrum,bytheantennae,bythecaudalthreads;Iknowsomewhothrowthemontheirbacks,somewholiftthembreasttobreast,somewhooperateonthemintheverticalposition,somewhoattackthemlengthwiseandcrosswise,somewhoclimbontheirbacksorontheirabdomens,somewhopressontheirbackstoforceoutapectoralfissure,somewhoopentheirdesperatelycontractedcoil,usingthetipoftheabdomenasawedge。AndsoIcouldgoonindefinitely:

everymethodoffencingisemployed。WhatcouldInotalsosayabouttheegg,slungpendulum—fashionbyathreadfromtheceiling,whentheliveprovisionsarewrigglingunderneath;laidonascantymouthful,asolitaryopeningdish,whenthedeadpreyrequiresrenewingfromdayto—day;entrustedtothelastjointstoredaway,whenthevictualsareparalysed;fixedataprecisespot,entailingtheleastdangertotheconsumerandthegame,whenthecorpulentpreyhastobedevouredwithaspecialartthatwarrantsitsfreshness！