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！