Therewouldstillremaintheinversepermutation:toobtainonlyfemalesandnomales,orveryfew。Thefirstpermutationmakesthesecondseemveryprobable,althoughIcannotasyetconceiveameansofrealizingit。TheonlyconditionwhichIcanregulateisthedimensionsofthehome。Whentheroomsaresmall,themalesaboundandthefemalestendtodisappear。Withgenerousquarters,theconversewouldnottakeplace。Ishouldobtainfemalesandafterwardsanequalnumberofmales,confinedinsmallcellswhich,incaseofneed,wouldbeboundedbynumerouspartitions。Thefactorofspacedoesnotenterintothequestionhere。Whatartificecanwethenemploytoprovokethissecondpermutation？Sofar,Icanthinkofnothingthatisworthattempting。
Itistimetoconclude。Leadingaretiredlife,inthesolitudeofavillage,havingquiteenoughtodowithpatientlyandobscurelyploughingmyhumblefurrow,Iknowlittleaboutmodernscientificviews。InmyyoungdaysIhadapassionatelongingforbooksandfounditdifficulttoprocurethem;to—day,whenIcouldalmosthavethemifIwanted,Iamceasingtowishforthem。Itiswhatusuallyhappensaslifegoeson。Idonotthereforeknowwhatmayhavebeendoneinthedirectionwhitherthisstudyofthesexeshasledus。IfIamstatingpropositionsthatarereallyneworatleastmorecomprehensivethanthepropositionsalreadyknown,mywordswillperhapssoundheretical。Nomatter:asasimpletranslatoroffacts,Idonothesitatetomakemystatement,beingfullypersuadedthattimewillturnmyheresyintoorthodoxy。Iwillthereforerecapitulatemyconclusions。
Beeslaytheireggsinseriesoffirstfemalesandthenmales,whenthetwosexesareofdifferentsizesanddemandanunequalquantityofnourishment。Whenthetwosexesarealikeinsize,thesamesequencemayoccur,butlessregularly。
Thisdualarrangementdisappearswhentheplacechosenforthenestisnotlargeenoughtocontaintheentirelaying。Wethenseebrokenlayings,beginningwithfemalesandendingwithmales。
Theegg,asitissuesfromtheovary,hasnotyetafixedsex。Thefinalimpressthatproducesthesexisgivenatthemomentoflayingoralittlebefore。
Soastobeabletogiveeachlarvatheamountofspaceandfoodthatsuitsitaccordingasitismaleorfemale,themothercanchoosethesexoftheeggwhichsheisabouttolay。Tomeettheconditionsofthebuilding,whichisoftentheworkofanotherorelseanaturalretreatthatadmitsoflittleornoalteration,shelayseitheramaleeggorafemaleeggasshepleases。Thedistributionofthesexesdependsuponherself。Shouldcircumstancesrequireit,theorderofthelayingcanbereversedandbeginwithmales;lastly,theentirelayingcancontainonlyonesex。
ThesameprivilegeispossessedbythepredatoryHymenoptera,theWasps,atleastbythoseinwhomthetwosexesareofadifferentsizeandconsequentlyrequireanamountofnourishmentthatislargerintheonecasethanintheother。Themothermustknowthesexoftheeggwhichsheisgoingtolay;shemustbeabletochoosethesexofthateggsothateachlarvamayobtainitsproperportionoffood。
Generallyspeaking,whenthesexesareofdifferentsizes,everyinsectthatcollectsfoodandpreparesorselectsadwellingforitsoffspringmustbeabletochoosethesexoftheegginordertosatisfywithoutmistaketheconditionsimposeduponit。
Thequestionremainshowthisoptionalassessmentofthesexesiseffected。Iknowabsolutelynothingaboutit。IfIshouldeverlearnanythingaboutthisdelicatepoint,IshalloweittosomehappychanceforwhichImustwait,orratherwatch,patiently。Towardstheendofmyinvestigations,IheardofaGermantheorywhichrelatestotheHive—beeandcomesfromDzierzon,theapiarist。（JohannDzierzon,authorof"TheorieundPraxisdesneuenBienenfreundes。"——
Translator'sNote。）IfIunderstanditaright,accordingtotheveryincompletedocumentswhichIhavebeforeme,theegg,asitissuesfromtheovary,issaidalreadytopossessasex,whichisalwaysthesame;itisoriginallymale;anditbecomesfemalebyfertilization。
Themalesaresupposedtoproceedfromnon—fertilizedeggs,thefemalesfromfertilizedeggs。TheQueen—beewouldthuslayfemaleeggsormaleeggsaccordingasshefertilizedthemornotwhiletheywerepassingintoheroviduct。
ComingfromGermany,thistheorycannotbutinspiremewithprofounddistrust。Asithasbeengivenacceptance,withrashprecipitancy,instandardworks,IwillovercomemyreluctancetodevotingmyattentiontoTeutonicideasandwillsubmititnottothetestofargument,whichcanalwaysbemetbyanoppositeargument,buttotheunanswerabletestoffacts。
Forthisoptionalfertilization,determiningthesex,themother'sorganismrequiresaseminalreservoirwhichdistilsitsdropofspermupontheeggcontainedintheoviductandthusgivesitafemininecharacter,orelseleavesititsoriginalcharacter,themalecharacter,byrefusingitthatbaptism。ThisreservoirexistsintheHive—bee。DowefindasimilarorganintheotherHymenoptera,whetherhoney—gatherersorhunters？Theanatomicaltreatisesareeithersilentonthispointor,withoutfurtherenquiry,applytotheorderasawholethedataprovidedbytheHive—bee,howevermuchshediffersfromthemassofHymenopteraowingtohersocialhabits,hersterileworkersandespeciallyhertremendousfertility,extendingoversolongaperiod。
Iatfirstdoubtedtheuniversalpresenceofthisspermaticreceptacle,havingfailedtofinditundermyscalpelinmyformerinvestigationsintotheanatomyoftheSphex—waspsandsomeothergame—hunters。Butthisorganissodelicateandsosmallthatitveryeasilyescapestheeye,especiallywhenourattentionisnotspeciallydirectedinsearchofit;and,evenwhenwearelookingforitanditonly,wedonotalwayssucceedindiscoveringit。Wehavetofindaglobuleattaininginmanycaseshardlyasmuchasamillimetre（Aboutone—fiftiethofaninch。——Translator'sNote。）indiameter,aglobuleheadedamidstatangleofair—ductsandfattypatches,ofwhichitsharesthecolour,adullwhite。Thenagain,themerestslipoftheforcepsisenoughtodestroyit。Myfirstinvestigations,therefore,whichconcernedthereproductiveapparatusasawhole,mightverywellhaveallowedittopassunperceived。
Inordertoknowtherightsofthematteronceandforall,astheanatomicaltreatisestaughtmenothing,Ioncemorefixedmymicroscopeonitsstandandrearrangedmyolddissecting—tank,anordinarytumblerwithacorkdiskcoveredwithblacksatin。Thistime,notwithoutacertainstrainonmyeyes,whicharealreadygrowingtired,IsucceededinfindingthesaidorganintheBembex—
wasps,theHalicti（Cf。Chapters12to14ofthepresentvolume。——
Translator'sNote。）,theCarpenter—bees,theBumble—bees,theAndrenae（AspeciesofBurrowingBees。——Translator'sNote。）andtheMegachiles。（OrLeaf—cuttingBees。Cf。Chapter8ofthepresentvolume。——Translator'sNote。）IfailedinthecaseoftheOsmiae,theChalicodomaeandtheAnthophorae。Istheorganreallyabsent？Orwastherewantofskillonmypart？Ileantowardswantofskillandadmitthatallthegame—huntingandhoney—gatheringHymenopterapossessaseminalreceptacle,whichcanberecognizedbyitscontents,aquantityofspiralspermatozoidswhirlingandtwistingontheslideofthemicroscope。
Thisorganonceaccepted,theGermantheorybecomesapplicabletoalltheBeesandalltheWasps。Whencopulating,thefemalereceivestheseminalfluidandholdsitstoredinherreceptacle。Fromthatmoment,thetwoprocreatingelementsarepresentinthemotheratoneandthesametime:thefemaleelement,theovule;andthemaleelement,thespermatozoid。Attheegg—layer'swill,thereceptaclebestowsatinydropofitscontentsuponthematuredovule,whenitreachestheoviduct,andyouhaveafemaleegg;orelseitwithholdsitsspermatozoidsandyouhaveaneggthatremainsmale,asitwasatfirst。Ireadilyadmitit:thetheoryisverysimple,lucidandseductive。Butisitcorrect？Thatisanotherquestion。
Onemightbeginbyreproachingitwithmakingasingularexceptiontooneofthemostgeneralrules。Whichofus,castinghiseyesoverthewholezoologicalprogression,woulddaretoassertthattheeggisoriginallymaleandthatitbecomesfemalebyfertilization？Donotthetwosexesbothcallfortheassistanceofthefertilizingelement？Iftherebeoneundoubtedtruth,itiscertainlythat。Weare,itistrue,toldverycuriousthingsabouttheHive—bee。Iwillnotdiscussthem:thisBeestandstoofaroutsidetheordinarylimits;andthenthefactsassertedarefarfrombeingacceptedbyeverybody。Butthenon—socialBeesandthepredatoryinsectshavenothingspecialabouttheirlaying。Thenwhyshouldtheyescapethecommonrule,whichrequiresthateverylivingcreature,maleaswellasfemale,shouldcomefromafertilizedovule？Initsmostsolemnact,thatofprocreation,lifeisoneanduniform;whatitdoeshereitdoesthereandthereandeverywhere。What！Thesporuleofascrapofmossrequiresanantherozoidbeforeitisfittogerminate;andtheovuleofaScolia,thatproudhuntress,candispensewiththeequivalentinordertohatchandproduceamale？Thesenew—fangledtheoriesseemtometohaveverylittlevalue。
OnemightalsobringforwardthecaseoftheThree—prongedOsmia,whodistributesthetwosexeswithoutanyorderinthehollowofherreed。Whatsingularwhimisthemotherobeyingwhen,withoutdecisivemotive,sheopensherseminalphialathaphazardtoanointafemaleegg,orelsekeepsitclosed,alsoathaphazard,toallowamaleeggtopassunfertilized？Icouldimagineimpregnationbeinggivenorwithheldforperiodsofsomeduration;butIcannotunderstandimpregnationandnon—impregnationfollowinguponeachotheranyhow,inanysortoforder,orratherwithnoorderitall。Themotherhasjustfertilizedanegg。Whyshouldsherefusetofertilizethenext,whenneithertheprovisionsnorthelodgingsdifferinthesmallestrespectfromthepreviousprovisionsandlodgings？Thesecapriciousalternations,sounreasonableandsoexceedinglyerratic,arescarcelyappropriatetoanactofsuchimportance。
ButIpromisednottoargueandIfindmyselfarguing。Myreasoningistoofinefordullwits。Iwillpassonandcometothebrutalfact,therealsledge—hammerblow。
TowardstheendoftheBee'soperations,inthefirstweekofJune,thelastactsoftheThree—hornedOsmiabecomesoexceptionallyinterestingthatImadehertheobjectofredoubledobservation。Theswarmatthistimeisgreatlyreducedinnumbers。Ihavestillsomethirtylaggards,whocontinueverybusy,thoughtheirworkisinvain。IseesomeveryconscientiouslystoppinguptheentrancetoatubeoraSnail—shellinwhichtheyhavelaidnothingatall。Othersareclosingthehomeafteronlybuildingafewpartitions,orevenmereattemptsatpartitions。Someareplacingatthebackofanewgalleryapinchofpollenwhichwillbenefitnobodyandthenshuttingupthehousewithanearthenstopperasthick,ascarefullymadeasthoughthesafetyofafamilydependedonit。Bornaworker,theOsmiamustdieworking。Whenherovariesareexhausted,shespendstheremainderofherstrengthonuselessworks:partitions,plugs,pollen—heaps,alldestinedtobeleftunemployed。Thelittleanimalmachinecannotbringitselftobeinactiveevenwhenthereisnothingmoretobedone。Itgoesonworkingsothatitslastvibrationsofenergymaybeusedupinfruitlesslabour。Icommendtheseaberrationstothestaunchsupportersofreasoning—powersintheanimal。
Beforecomingtotheseuselesstasks,mylaggardshavelaidtheirlasteggs,ofwhichIknowtheexactcells,theexactdates。Theseeggs,asfarasthemicroscopescantell,differinnorespectfromtheothers,theolderones。Theyhavethesamedimensions,thesameshape,thesameglossiness,thesamelookoffreshness。Noraretheirprovisionsinanywaypeculiar,beingverywellsuitedtothemales,whoconcludethelaying。Andyettheselasteggsdonothatch:theywrinkle,fadeandwitheronthepileoffood。Inonecase,Icountthreeorfoursterileeggsamongthelastlotlaid;inanother,I
findtwooronlyone。Elsewhereintheswarm,fertileeggshavebeenlaidrightuptotheend。
Thosesterileeggs,strickenwithdeathatthemomentoftheirbirth,aretoonumeroustobeignored。Whydotheynothatchliketheothereggs,whichoutwardlytheyresembleineveryrespect？Theyhavereceivedthesameattentionfromthemotherandthesameportionoffood。Thesearchingmicroscopeshowsmenothinginthemtoexplainthefatalending。
Totheunprejudicedmind,theanswerisobvious。Thoseeggsdonothatchbecausetheyhavenotbeenfertilized。Anyanimalorvegetableeggthathadnotreceivedthelife—givingimpregnationwouldperishinthesameway。Nootheranswerispossible。Itisnousetalkingofthedistantperiodofthelaying:eggsofthesameperiodlaidbyothermothers,eggsofthesamedateandlikewisethefinalonesofalaying,areperfectlyfertile。Oncemore,theydonothatchbecausetheywerenotfertilized。
Andwhyweretheynotfertilized？Becausetheseminalreceptacle,sotiny,sodifficulttoseethatitsometimesescapedmedespiteallmyscrutiny,hadexhausteditscontents。Themothersinwhomthisreceptacleretainedaremnantofspermtotheendhadtheirlasteggsasfertileasthefirst;theothers,whoseseminalreservoirwasexhaustedtoosoon,hadtheirlast—bornstrickenwithdeath。Allthisseemstomeasclearasdaylight。
Iftheunfertilizedeggsperishwithouthatching,thosewhichhatchandproducemalesarethereforefertilized;andtheGermantheoryfallstotheground。
ThenwhatexplanationshallIgiveofthewonderfulfactswhichI
havesetforth？Why,none,absolutelynone。Idonotexplainfacts,I
relatethem。GrowingdailymorescepticaloftheinterpretationssuggestedtomeandmorehesitatingastothosewhichImayhavetosuggestmyself,themoreIobserveandexperiment,themoreclearlyI
seerisingoutoftheblackmistsofpossibilityanenormousnoteofinterrogation。
Dearinsects,mystudyofyouhassustainedmeandcontinuestosustainmeinmyheaviesttrials。Imusttakeleaveofyouforto—day。Theranksarethinningaroundmeandthelonghopeshavefled。ShallIbeabletospeaktoyouagain？（ThisistheclosingparagraphofVolume3ofthe"Souvenirsentomologiques,"ofwhichtheauthorhaslivedtopublishsevenmorevolumes,containingover2,500
pagesandnearly850,000words。——Translator'sNote。）
CHAPTER6。INSTINCTANDDISCERNMENT。
ThePelopaeus（AMason—waspformingthesubjectofessayswhichhavenotyetbeenpublishedinEnglish。——Translator'sNote。）givesusaverypoorideaofherintellectwhensheplastersupthespotinthewallwherethenestwhichIhaveremovedusedtostand,whenshepersistsincramminghercellwithSpidersforthebenefitofaneggnolongerthereandwhenshedutifullyclosesacellwhichmyforcepshasleftempty,extractingalikegermandprovisions。TheMason—bees（Cf。"TheMason—bees":chapter7。——Translator'sNote。）,thecaterpillaroftheGreatPeacockMoth（Cf。"SocialLifeintheInsectWorld"byJ。H。Fabre,translatedbyBernardMiall:chapter14。——
Translator'sNote。）andmanyothers,whensubjectedtosimilartests,areguiltyofthesameillogicalbehaviour:theycontinue,inthenormalorder,theirseriesofindustriousactions,thoughanaccidenthasnowrenderedthemalluseless。Justlikemillstonesunabletoceaserevolvingthoughtherebenocornlefttogrind,letthemoncebegiventhecompellingpowerandtheywillcontinuetoperformtheirtaskdespiteitsfutility。Aretheythenmachines？Farbeitfrommetothinkanythingsofoolish。
Itisimpossibletomakedefiniteprogressontheshiftingsandsofcontradictoryfacts:eachstepinourinterpretationmayfindusembogged。AndyetthesefactsspeaksoloudlythatIdonothesitatetotranslatetheirevidenceasIunderstandit。Ininsectmentality,wehavetodistinguishtwoverydifferentdomains。OneoftheseisINSTINCTproperlysocalled,theunconsciousimpulsethatpresidesoverthemostwonderfulpartofwhatthecreatureachieves。Whereexperienceandimitationareofabsolutelynoavail,instinctlaysdownitsinflexiblelaw。Itisinstinctandinstinctalonethatmakesthemotherbuildforafamilywhichshewillneversee;thatcounselsthestoringofprovisionsfortheunknownoffspring;thatdirectsthestingtowardsthenerve—centresofthepreyandskilfullyparalysesit,sothatthegamemaykeepgood;thatinstigates,infine,ahostofactionswhereinshrewdreasonandconsummatesciencewouldhavetheirpart,werethecreatureactingthroughdiscernment。
Thisfacultyisperfectofitskindfromtheoutset,otherwisetheinsectwouldhavenoposterity。Timeaddsnothingtoitandtakesnothingfromit。Suchasitwasforadefinitespecies,suchitisto—dayandsuchitwillremain,perhapsthemostsettledzoologicalcharacteristicofthemall。Itisnotfreenorconsciousinitspractice,anymorethanisthefacultyofthestomachfordigestionorthatoftheheartforpulsation。Thephasesofitsoperationsarepredetermined,necessarilyentailedonebyanother;theysuggestasystemofclock—workwhereinonewheelsetinmotionbringsaboutthemovementofthenext。Thisisthemechanicalsideoftheinsect,thefatum,theonlythingwhichisabletoexplainthemonstrousillogicalityofaPelopaeuswhenmisledbymyartifices。IstheLambwhenitfirstgripstheteatafreeandconsciousagent,capableofimprovementinitsdifficultartoftakingnourishment？Theinsectisnomorecapableofimprovementinitsart,moredifficultstill,ofgivingnourishment。
But,withitshide—boundscienceignorantofitself,pureinsect,ifitstoodalone,wouldleavetheinsectunarmedintheperpetualconflictofcircumstances。Notwomomentsintimeareidentical;
thoughthebackgroundremainthesame,thedetailschange;theunexpectedrisesoneveryside。Inthisbewilderingconfusion,aguideisneededtoseek,accept,refuseandselect;toshowpreferenceforthisandindifferencetothat;toturntoaccount,inshort,anythingusefulthatoccasionmayoffer。Thisguidetheinsectundoubtedlypossesses,toaverymanifestdegree。Itisthesecondprovinceofitsmentality。Hereitisconsciousandcapableofimprovementbyexperience。Idarenotspeakofthisrudimentaryfacultyasintelligence,whichistooexaltedatitle:IwillcallitDISCERNMENT。Theinsect,inexercisingitshighestgifts,discerns,differentiatesbetweenonethingandanother,withinthesphereofitsbusiness,ofcourse;andthatisaboutall。
Aslongasweconfoundactsofpureinstinctandactsofdiscernmentunderthesamehead,weshallfallbackintothoseendlessdiscussionswhichembittercontroversywithoutbringingusonestepnearertothesolutionoftheproblem。Istheinsectconsciousofwhatitdoes？Yesandno。No,ifitsactionisintheprovinceofinstinct;yes,iftheactionisinthatofdiscernment。Arethehabitsofaninsectcapableofmodification？No,decidedlynot,ifthehabitinquestionbelongstotheprovinceofinstinct;yes,ifitbelongstothatofdiscernment。Letusstatethisfundamentaldistinctionmorepreciselybytheaidofafewexamples。
ThePelopaeusbuildshercellswithearthalreadysoftened,withmud。
Herewehaveinstinct,theunalterablecharacteristicoftheworker。
Shehasalwaysbuiltinthiswayandalwayswill。Thepassingageswillneverteachher,neitherthestruggleforlifenorthelawofselectionwilleverinducehertoimitatetheMason—beeandcollectdrydustforhermortar。Thismudnestneedsashelteragainsttherain。Thehiding—placeunderastonesufficesatfirst。Butshouldshefindsomethingbetter,thepottertakespossessionofthatsomethingbetterandinstalsherselfinthehomeofman。（ThePelopaeusbuildsinthefire—placesofhouses。——Translator'sNote。）
Therewehavediscernment,thesourceofsomesortofcapacityforimprovement。
ThePelopaeussuppliesherlarvaewithprovisionsintheformofSpiders。Thereyouhaveinstinct。Theclimate,thelongitudeorlatitude,thechangingseasons,theabundanceorscarcityofgameintroducenomodificationintothisdiet,thoughthelarvashowsitselfsatisfiedwithotherfareprovidedbymyself。ItsforebearswerebroughtuponSpiders;theirdescendantsconsumedsimilarfood;
andtheirposterityagainwillknownoother。Notasinglecircumstance,howeverfavourable,willeverpersuadethePelopaeusthatyoungCrickets,forinstance,areasgoodasSpidersandthatherfamilywouldacceptthemgladly。Instinctbindsherdowntothenationaldiet。
But,shouldtheEpeira（TheWeavingorGardenSpider。Cf。"TheLifeoftheSpider"byJ。HenriFabretranslatedbyAlexanderTeixeiradeMattos;chapters9to14andappendix。——Translator'sNote。）,thefavouriteprey,belacking,mustthePelopaeusthereforegiveupforaging？Shewillstockherwarehousesallthesame,becauseanySpidersuitsher。Thereyouhavediscernment,whoseelasticitymakesup,incertaincircumstances,forthetoo—greatrigidityofinstinct。
Amidtheinnumerablevarietyofgame,thehuntressisabletodiscernbetweenwhatisSpiderandwhatisnot;and,inthisway,sheisalwayspreparedtosupplyherfamily,withoutquittingthedomainofherinstinct。
TheHairyAmmophilagivesherlarvaasinglecaterpillar,alargeone,paralysedbyasmanypricksofherstingasithasnervouscentresinitsthoraxandabdomen。Hersurgicalskillinsubduingthemonsterisinstinctdisplayedinaformwhichmakesshortworkofanyinclinationtoseeinitanacquiredhabit。Inanartthatcanleavenoonetopractiseitinthefutureunlessthatonebeperfectattheoutset,ofwhatavailarehappychances,atavistictendencies,themellowinghandoftime？Butthegreycaterpillar,sacrificedoneday,maybesucceededonanotherdaybyagreen,yelloworstripedcaterpillar。Thereyouhavediscernment,whichisquitecapableofrecognizingtheregulationpreyunderverydiversegarbs。
TheMegachilesbuildtheirhoney—jarswithdiskscutoutofleaves;
certainAnthidiamakefeltedcottonwallets;othersfashionpotsoutofresin。Thereyouhaveinstinct。WillanyrashmindeverconceivethesingularideathattheLeaf—cuttermightverywellhavestartedworkingincotton,thatthecotton—wool—workeroncethoughtorwillonedaythinkofcuttingdisksoutoftheleavesofthelilac—andtherose—tree,thattheresin—kneaderbeganwithclay？Whowoulddaretoindulgeinanysuchtheories？EachBeehasherart,hermedium,towhichshestrictlyconfinesherself。Thefirsthasherleaves;thesecondherwadding;thethirdherresin。Noneoftheseguildshaseverchangedtradeswithanother;andnoneeverwill。Thereyouhaveinstinct,keepingtheworkerstotheirspecialities。Therearenoinnovationsintheirworkshops,norecipesresultingfromexperiment,noingeniousdevices,noprogressfromindifferenttogood,fromgoodtoexcellent。To—day'smethodisthefacsimileofyesterday's;andto—morrowwillknownoother。
But,thoughthemanufacturing—processisinvariable,therawmaterialissubjecttochange。Theplantthatsuppliesthecottondiffersinspeciesaccordingtothelocality;thebushoutofwhoseleavesthepieceswillbecutisnotthesameinthevariousfieldsofoperation;thetreethatprovidestheresinousputtymaybeapine,acypress,ajuniper,acedaroraspruce,allverydifferentinappearance。Whatwillguidetheinsectinitsgleaning？Discernment。
These,Ithink,aresufficientdetailsofthefundamentaldistinctiontobedrawnintheinsect'smentality;thedistinction,thatis,betweeninstinctanddiscernment。Ifpeopleconfusethesetwoprovinces,astheynearlyalwaysdo,anyunderstandingbecomesimpossible;thelastglimmeroflightdisappearsbehindthecloudsofinterminablediscussions。Fromanindustrialpointofview,letuslookupontheinsectasaworkerthoroughlyversedfrombirthinacraftwhoseessentialprinciplesnevervary;letusgrantthatunconsciousworkeragleamofintelligencewhichwillpermitittoextricateitselffromtheinevitableconflictofattendantcircumstances;andIthinkthatweshallhavecomeasneartothetruthasthestateofourknowledgewillallowforthemoment。
Havingthusassignedaduesharebothtoinstinctandtheaberrationsofinstinctwhenthecourseofitsdifferentphasesisdisturbed,letusseewhatdiscernmentisabletodointheselectionofasiteforthenestandmaterialsforbuildingit;and,leavingthePelopaeus,uponwhomitisuselesstodwellanylonger,letusconsiderotherexamples,pickedfromamongthoserichestinvariations。
TheMason—beeoftheSheds（Chalicodomarufitarsis,PEREZ）welldeservesthenamewhichIhavefeltjustifiedingivingherfromherhabits:shesettlesinnumerouscoloniesinoursheds,onthelowersurfaceofthetiles,whereshebuildshugenestswhichendangerthesolidityoftheroof。Nowheredoestheinsectdisplayagreaterzealforworkthaninoneofthesecolossalcities,anestatewhichisconstantlyincreasingasitpassesdownfromonegenerationtoanother;nowheredoesitfindabetterworkshopfortheexerciseofitsindustry。Hereithasplentyofroom:aquietresting—place,shelteredfromdampandfromexcessofheatorcold。
Butthespaciousdomainunderthetilesisnotwithinthereachofall:shedswithfreeaccessandthepropersunnyaspectareprettyrare。Thesesitesfallonlytothefavouredoffortune。Wherewilltheotherstakeuptheirquarters？Moreorlesseverywhere。WithoutleavingthehouseinwhichIlive,Icanenumeratestone,wood,glass,metal,paintandmortarasformingthefoundationofthenests。Thegreen—housewithitsfurnaceheatinthesummeranditsbrightlight,equallingthatoutside,isfairlywell—frequented。TheMason—beehardlyeverfailstobuildthereeachyear,insquadsofafewdozenapiece,nowontheglasspanes,nowontheironbarsoftheframework。Otherlittleswarmssettleinthewindowembrasures,undertheprojectingledgeofthefrontdoororinthecrannybetweenthewallandanopenshutter。Othersagain,beingperhapsofamorosedisposition,fleesocietyandprefertoworkinsolitude,oneintheinsideofalockorofapipeintendedtocarrytherain—waterfromtheleads;anotherinthemouldingsofthedoorsandwindowsorinthecrudeornamentationofthestone—work。Inshort,thehouseismadeuseofallround,providedthattheshelterbeanout—of—doorone;forobservethattheenterprisinginvader,unlikethePelopaeus,neverpenetratesinsideourdwellings。Thecaseoftheconservatoryisanexceptionmoreapparentthanreal:theglassbuilding,standingwideopenthroughoutthesummer,istotheMason—beebutashedalittlelighterthantheothers。Thereisnothingheretoarousethedistrustwithwhichanythingindoorsorshutupinspiresher。Tobuildonthethresholdofanouterdoor,ortousurpitslock,ahiding—placetoherfancy,isallthatsheallowsherself;togoanyfartherisanadventurerepugnanttohertaste。
Lastly,inthecaseofallthesedwellings,theMason—beeisman'sfreetenant;herindustrymakesuseoftheproductsofourownindustry。Canshehavenootherestablishments？Shehas,beyondadoubt;shepossessessomeconstructedontheancientplan。Onastonethesizeofaman'sfist,protectedbytheshelterofahedge,sometimesevenonapebbleintheopenair,Iseeherbuildingnowgroupsofcellsaslargeasawalnut,nowdomesemulatinginsize,shapeandsoliditythoseofherrival,theMason—beeoftheWalls。
Thestonesupportisthemostfrequent,thoughnottheonlyone。I
havefoundnests,butsparselyinhabiteditistrue,onthetrunksoftrees,intheseamsoftheroughbarkofoaks。Amongthosewhosesupportwasalivingplant,Iwillmentiontwothatstandoutabovealltheothers。Thefirstwasbuiltinthelobeofatorch—thistleasthickasmyleg;thesecondrestedonastalkoftheopuntia,theIndianfig。Hadthefiercearmourofthesetwostoutcactusesattractedtheattentionoftheinsect,whichlookedupontheirtuftsofspikesasfurnishingasystemofdefenceforitsnest？Perhapsso。