第4章

Itwasthereforeinnearlythecertaintyofnon-fulfilmentthatImademyfirstattemptsatrearingcarnivorouslarvaewithaquarrywhichdidnotconformwiththecustomaryregimen。Forconscience"sake，moreorlessperfunctorily，Iendeavouredtoachievesomethingthatseemedtomeboundtoendinpitifulfailure。OnlytheBembex-wasps，whichareplentifulinthesandoftheneighbouringhills，mightstillaffordme，withouttooprolongedasearch，afewsubjectsonwhichtoexperiment。TheTarsalBembexfurnishedmewithwhatIwanted:larvaeyoungenoughtohavestillbeforethemalongperiodoffeedingandyetsufficientlydevelopedtoendurethetrialsofaremoval。

Theselarvaareexhumedwithalltheconsiderationwhichtheirdelicateskindemands；anumberofheadofgamearelikewiseunearthedintact，havingbeenrecentlybroughtbythemother。TheyconsistofvariousDiptera，includingsomeAnthrax-flies。(Cf。“TheLifeoftheFly“:chapters2and4——Translator"sNote。)Anoldsardine-box，containingalayerofsiftedsandanddividedintocompartmentsbypaperpartitions，receivesmycharges，whoareisolatedonefromanother。TheseFly-eatersIproposetoturnintoGrasshopper-eaters；fortheirBembex-dietIintendtosubstitutethedietofaSphexoraTachytes。Tosavemyselftediouserrandsdevotedtoprovisioningtherefectory，Iacceptwhatgoodfortuneoffersmeattheverythresholdofmydoor。AgreenLocustid，withashortsabrebentintoareaping-hook，Phaneropterafalcata，isravagingthecorollaeofmypetunias。Nowisthetimetoindemnifymyselfforthedamagewhichshehascausedme。Ipickheryoung，halftothree-quartersofaninchinlength；

andIdepriveherofmovement，withoutmoreado，bycrushingherhead。InthisconditionsheisserveduptotheBembex-larvaeinplaceoftheirFlies。

Ifthereaderhassharedmyconvictionsoffailure，convictionsbasedonverylogicalmotives，hewillnowsharemyprofoundsurprise。Theimpossiblebecomespossible，thesenselessbecomesreasonableandtheexpectedbecomestheoppositeofthereal。ThedishservedontheBembeces"

tableforthefirsttimesinceBembecescameintotheworldisacceptedwithoutanyrepugnanceandconsumedwitheverymarkofsatisfaction。Iwillheresetdownthedetaileddiaryofoneofmyguests；thatoftheotherswouldonlybearepetition，saveforafewvariations。

2AUGUST，1883——ThelarvaoftheBembex，asIextractitfromitsburrow，isabouthalf-developed。ArounditIfindonlysomescantyrelicsofitsmeals，consistingchieflyofAnthrax-wings，half-diaphanousandhalf-

clouded。Themotherwouldappeartohavecompletedthevictuallingbyfreshcontributions，addeddaybyday。Igivethenurseling，whichisanAnthrax-

eater，ayoungPhaneroptera。TheLocustidisattackedwithouthesitation。

Thisprofoundchangeinthecharacterofitsvictualsdoesnotseemintheleasttodisturbthelarva，whichbitesstraightintotherichmorselwithitsmandiblesanddoesnotletgountilithasexhaustedit。Towardseveningthedrainedcarcaseisreplacedbyanother，quitefresh，ofthesamespeciesbutbulkier，measuringoverthree-quartersofaninch。

3AUGUST——NextdayIfindthePhaneropteradevoured。Nothingremainsbutthedryinteguments，whicharenotdismembered。Theentirecontentshavedisappeared；thegamehasbeenemptiedthroughalargeopeningmadeinthebelly。AregularGrasshopper-eatercouldnothaveoperatedmoreskilfully。

IreplacetheworthlesscarcasebytwosmallLocustidae。Atfirstthelarvadoesnottouchthem，beingamplysatedwiththecopiousmealofthedaybefore。Intheafternoon，however，oneoftheitemsisresolutelyattacked。

4AUGUST——Irenewthevictuals，althoughthoseofthedaybeforearenotfinished。Fortherest，Idothesamedaily，sothatmychargemayconstantlyhavefreshfoodathand。Highgamemightupsetitsstomach。MyLocustidaearenotvictimsatthesametimelivingandinert，operateduponaccordingtothedelicatemethodoftheinsectsthatparalysetheirprey；

theyarecorpses，procuredbyabrutalcrushingofthehead。Withthetemperaturenowprevailing，fleshsoonbecomestainted；andthiscompelsmefrequentlytorenewtheprovisionsinmysardine-boxrefectory。Twospecimensareservedup。Oneisattackedsoonafterwards；andthelarvaclingstoitassiduously。

5AUGUST——Theravenousappetiteofthestartisbecomingassuaged。Mysuppliesmaywellbetoogenerous；anditmightbeprudenttotryalittledietingafterthisGargantuangoodcheer。Themothercertainlyismoreparsimonious。Ifallthefamilyweretoeatatthesamerateasmyguest，shewouldneverbeabletokeeppacewiththeirdemands。Therefore，forreasonsofhealth，thisisadayoffastingandvigil。

6AUGUST——SuppliesarerenewedwithtwoPhaneropterae。Oneisconsumedentirely；theotherisbitteninto。

7August——To-day"srationistastedandthenabandoned。Thelarvaseemsuneasy。Withitspointedmouthitexploresthewallsofitschamber。Thissigndenotestheapproachofthetimeformakingthecocoon。

8AUGUST——Duringthenightthelarvahasspunitssilkeneel-trap。Itisnowencrustingitwithgrainsofsand。Thenfollow，induetime，thenormalphasesofthemetamorphosis。FedonLocustidae，adietunknowntoitsrace，thelarvapassesthroughitsseveralstageswithoutanymoredifficultythanitsbrothersandsistersfedonFlies。

IobtainedthesamesuccessinofferingyoungMantesforfood。Oneofthelarvaethusservedwouldeveninclinemetobelievethatitpreferredthenewdishtothetraditionaldietofitsrace。TwoEristales，orDrone-

flies，andaPrayingMantisaninchlongcomposeditsdailyallowance。TheDrone-fliesaredisdainedfromthefirstmouthful；andtheMantis，alreadytastedandapparentlyfoundexcellent，causestheFlytobecompletelyforgotten。Isthisanepicure"spreference，duetothegreaterjuicinessoftheflesh？Iamnotinapositiontosay。Atallevents，theBembexisnotsoinfatuatedwithFlyastorefusetoabandonitforothergame。

ThefailurewhichIforesawhasprovedamagnificentsuccess。Itisfairlyconvincing，isitnot？Withouttheevidenceofexperiment，whatcanwerelyupon？BeneaththeruinsofsomanytheorieswhichappearedtobemostsolidlyerectedIshouldhesitatetoadmitthattwoandtwomakefourifthefactswerenotbeforeme。Myargumenthadthemosttemptingprobabilityonitsside，butithadnotthetruth。Asitisalwayspossibletofindreasonsaftertheeventinsupportofanopinionwhichonewouldnotatfirstadmit，Ishouldnowargueasfollows:

Theplantisthegreatfactoryinwhichareelaborated，withmineralmaterials，theorganicprincipleswhicharethematerialsoflife。Certainproductsarecommontothewholevegetableseries，butothers，farlessnumerous，arepreparedinspeciallaboratories。Eachgenus，eachspecieshasitstrade-mark。Hereessentialoilsaremanufactured；herealkaloids；

herestarches，fattysubstances，resins，sugars，acids。Henceresultspecialenergies，whichdonotsuiteveryherbivorousanimal。Itassuredlyrequiresastomachmadeexpresslyforthepurposetodigestaconite，colchicum，hemlockorhenbane；thosewhohavenotsuchastomachcouldneverendureadietofthatsort。Besides，theMithridatesfedonpoisonresistonlyasingletoxin。(MithridatesVI。KingofPontus(d。B。C。63)issaidtohavesecuredimmunityfrompoisonbytakingincreaseddosesofit——

Translator"sNote。)ThecaterpillaroftheDeath"s-headHawk-moth，whichdelightsinthesolaninofthepotato，wouldbekilledbytheacridprincipleofthetithymalsthatformthefoodoftheSpurge-caterpillar。

Theherbivorouslarvaearethereforeperforceexclusiveintheirtastes，becausedifferentgeneraofvegetablespossessverydifferentproperties。

Withthisvarietyintheproductsoftheplant，theanimal，aconsumerfarmorethanaproducer，contraststheuniformityinitsownproducts。ThealbumenintheeggoftheOstrichortheChaffinch，thecaseininthemilkoftheCowortheAss，themuscularfleshoftheWolfortheSheep，theScreech-owlortheField-mouse，theFrogortheEarth-worm:theseremainalbumen，caseinorfibrin，edibleifnoteaten。Herearenoexcruciatingcondiments，nospecialacridities，noalkaloidsfataltoanystomachotherthanthatoftheappointedconsumer；sothatanimalfoodisnotconfinedtooneandthesameeater。Whatdoesnotmaneat，fromthatdelicacyofthearcticregions，soupmadeofSeal"sbloodandascrapofWhale-blubberwrappedinawillow-leafforavegetable，totheChinaman"sfriedSilk-wormortheArab"sdriedLocust？Whatwouldhenoteat，ifhehadnottoovercometherepugnancedictatedbyhabitratherthanbyactualnecessity？

Thepreybeinguniforminitsnutritiveprinciples，thecarnivorouslarvaoughttoaccommodateitselftoanysortofgame，aboveallifthenewdishbenottoogreatadeparturefromconsecratedusage。ThusshouldIargue，withnolessprobabilityonmyside，hadItobeginalloveragain。But，asallourargumentshavenotthevalueofasinglefact，Ishouldbeforcedintheendtoresorttoexperiment。

Ididsothenextyear，onalargerscaleandwithagreatervarietyofsubjects。Ishrinkfromacontinuousnarrativeofmyexperimentsandofmypersonaleducationinthisnewart，wherethefailureofonedaytaughtmethewaytosucceedonthemorrow。Itwouldbelongandtedious。EnoughifI

brieflystatemyresultsandtheconditionswhichmustbefulfilledinordertorunthedelicaterefectoryasitshouldberun。

And，first，wemustnotdreamofdetachingtheeggfromitsnaturalpreytolayitonanother。Theeggadheresprettyfirmly，byitscephalicpole，tothequarry。Toremoveitfromitsplacewouldinevitablyjeopardizeitsfuture。Ithereforeletthelarvahatchandacquiresufficientstrengthtobeartheremovalwithoutperil。Forthatmatter，myexcavationsmostoftenprovidemewithmysubjectsintheformoflarvae。Iadoptforrearing-

purposesthelarvaethatareaquartertoahalfdeveloped。Theothersaretooyoungandriskytohandle，ortoooldandlimitedtoashortperiodofartificialfeeding。

Secondly，Iavoidbulkyheadsofgame，asingleoneofwhichwouldsufficeforthewholegrowing-stage。IhavealreadysaidandIhererepeathowniceamatteritistoconsumeavictimwhichhastokeepfreshforacoupleofweeksandnottofinishdyinguntilitisalmostentirelydevoured。Deathhereleavesnocorpse；whenlifeisextinct，thebodyhasdisappeared，leavingonlyashredofskin。Larvaewithonlyonelargepreyhaveaspecialartofeating，adangerousart，inwhichaclumsybitewouldprovefatal。Ifbittenbeforethepropertimeatsuchapoint，thevictimbecomesputrid，whichpromptlycausesdeathbypoisoningintheconsumer。Whendivertedfromitsplanofattack，deprivedofitsclue，thelarvaisnotalwaysabletorediscoverthelawfulmorselsingoodtimeandiskilledbythedecompositionofitsbadlydissectedprey。Whatwillhappeniftheexperimentergivesitagametowhichitisnotaccustomed？Notknowinghowtoeatitaccordingtorule，thelarvawillkillit；andbynextdaythevictualswillhavebecomesomuchtoxicputrescence。IhavealreadytoldhowIfounditimpossibletoreartheTwo-bandedScoliaonOryctes-larvae，fasteneddowntodeprivethemofmovement，orevenonEphippigers，paralysedbytheLanguedocianSphex。Inbothcasesthenewdietwasacceptedwithouthesitation，aproofthatitsuitedthenurseling；butinadayortwoputrescencesupervenedandtheScoliaperishedonthefetidmorsel。ThemethodofpreservingtheEphippiger，sowellknowntotheSphex，wasunknowntomyboarder；inthiswasenoughtoconvertadeliciousfoodintopoison。

Evensodidmyotherattemptsmiscarrywretchedly，attemptsatfeedingwiththesingledishconsistingofonebigheadofgametoreplacethenormalration。Onlyonesuccessisrecordedinmynotebooks，butthatwassodifficultthatIwouldnotundertaketoobtainitasecondtime。I

succeededinfeedingthelarvaoftheHairyAmmophilawithanadultblackCricket，whowasacceptedasreadilyasthenaturalgame，thecaterpillar。

Toavoidputrefactionofvictualswhichlastoverlongandarenotconsumedaccordingtothemethodindispensabletotheirpreservation，Iemploysmallgame，eachpieceofwhichcanbefinishedbythelarvaatasinglesitting，oratmostinasingleday。Itmatterslittlethenthatthevictimisslashedanddismemberedatrandom；decompositionhasnotimetoseizeuponitsstillquiveringtissues。Thisistheprocedureofthoselarvaewhichgulpdowntheirfood，snappingatrandomwithoutdistinguishingonepartfromanother，suchastheBembex-larvae，whichfinishtheFlyintowhichtheyhavebittenbeforebeginninganotherintheheap，ortheCerceris-

larvae，whichdraintheirWeevilsmethodicallyoneafteranother。Withthefirststrokesofthemandiblesthevictimbroachedmaybemortallywounded。

Thisisnodisadvantage:abriefspellsufficestomakeuseofthecorpse，whichissavedfromputrefactionbybeingpromptlyconsumed。Closebesideit，theothervictims，quitealivethoughmotionless，awaittheirrespectiveturnsandsupplyreservesofvictualswhicharealwaysfresh。

IamtoounskilfulabutchertoimitatetheWaspandmyselftoresorttoparalysis；moreover，thecausticliquidinjectedintothenerve-centres，ammoniainparticular，wouldleavetracesofsmellorflavourwhichmightputoffmyboarders。Iamthereforecompelledtodeprivemyinsectsofthepowerofmovementbykillingthemoutright。Thismakesitimpracticabletoprovideasufficiencyofprovisionsbeforehandinasinglesupply:whileoneitemoftherationwasbeingconsumedtherestwouldspoil。Oneexpedientaloneremainstome，onewhichentailsconstantattendance:itistorenewtheprovisionseachday。Whenalltheseconditionsarefulfilled，thesuccessofartificialfeedingisstillnotwithoutitsdifficulties；

nevertheless，withalittlecareandaboveallplentyofpatience，itisalmostcertain。

ItwasthusthatIrearedtheTarsalBembex，whicheatsAnthrax-fliesandotherDiptera，onyoungLocustidaeorMantidae；theSilkyAmmophila，whosedietconsistschieflyofMeasuring-worms，onsmallSpiders；thepot-makingPelopaeus，aSpider-eater，ontenderAcridians；theSandCerceris，apassionateloverofWeevils，onHalicti；theBee-eatingPhilanthus，whichfeedsexclusivelyonHive-bees，onEristalesandotherFlies。Withoutsucceedinginmyfinalaim，forreasonswhichIhavejustexplained，IhaveseentheTwo-bandedScoliafeastinggreedilyonthegruboftheOryctes，whichwassubstitutedforthatoftheCetonia，andputtingupwithanEphippigertakenfromtheburrowoftheSphex；IhavebeenpresentattherepastofthreeHairyAmmophilaeacceptingwithanexcellentappetitetheCricketthatreplacedtheircaterpillar。Oneofthem，asIhaverelated，contrivedtokeepitsrationfresh，whichenabledittoreachitsfulldevelopmentandtospinitscocoon。

Theseexamples，theonlyonestowhichmyexperimentshaveextendedhitherto，seemtomesufficientlyconvincingtoallowmetoconcludethatthecarnivorouslarvadoesnothaveexclusivetastes。Therationsuppliedtoitbythemother，somonotonous，solimitedinquality，mightbereplacedbyothersequallytoitstaste。Varietydoesnotdispleasethelarva；itdoesitasmuchgoodasuniformity；indeed，itwouldbeofgreaterbenefittotherace，asweshallseepresently。

CHAPTER8。ADIGATTHEEVOLUTIONISTS。

Torearacaterpillar-eateronaskewerfulofSpidersisaveryinnocentthing，unlikelytocompromisethesecurityoftheState；itisalsoaverychildishthing，asIhastentoconfess，andworthyoftheschoolboywho，inthemysteriesofhisdesk，seeksasbesthemaysomediversionfromthefascinationsofhisexerciseincomposition。AndIshouldnothaveundertakentheseinvestigations，stilllessshouldIhavespokenthem，notwithoutsomesatisfaction，ifIhadnotdiscerned，intheresultsobtainedinmyrefectory，acertainphilosophicimport，involving，soitseemedtome，theevolutionarytheory。

Itisassuredlyamajesticenterprise，commensuratewithman"simmenseambitions，toseektopourtheuniverseintothemouldofaformulaandsubmiteveryrealitytothestandardofreason。Thegeometricianproceedsinthismanner:hedefinesthecone，anidealconception；thenheintersectsitbyaplane。Theconicsectionissubmittedtoalgebra，anobstetricalappliancewhichbringsforththeequation；andbehold，entreatednowinonedirection，nowinanother，thewomboftheformulagivesbirthtotheellipse，thehyperbola，theparabola，theirfoci，theirradiusvectors，theirtangents，theirnormals，theirconjugateaxes，theirasymptotesandtherest。Itismagnificent，somuchsothatyouareovercomebyenthusiasm，evenwhenyouaretwentyyearsold，anagehardlyadaptedtotheausteritiesofmathematics。Itissuperb。Youfeelasifyouwerewitnessingthecreationofaworld。

Asamatteroffact，youaremerelyobservingthesameideafromdifferentpointsofview，whichareilluminedbythesuccessivephasesofthetransformedformula。Allthatalgebraunfoldsforourbenefitwascontainedinthedefinitionofthecone，butitwascontainedasagerm，underlatentformswhichthemagicofthecalculusconvertsintoexplicitforms。Thegrossvaluewhichourmindconfidedtotheequationitreturnstous，withoutlossorgain，incoinsstampedwitheverysortofeffigy。Andherepreciselyisthatwhichconstitutestheinflexiblerigourofthecalculus，theluminouscertaintybeforewhicheverycultivatedmindisforcedtobow。

Algebraistheoracleoftheabsolutetruth，becauseitrevealsnothingbutwhatthemindhadhiddeninitunderanamalgamofsymbols。Weput2and2

intothemachine；therollersworkandshowus4。Thatisall。

Buttothiscalculus，all-powerfulsolongasitdoesnotleavethedomainoftheideal，letussubmitaverymodestreality:thefallofagrainofsand，thependularmovementofahangingbody。Themachinenolongerworks，ordoessoonlybysuppressingalmosteverythingthatisreal。Itmusthaveanidealmaterialpoint，anidealrigidthread，anidealpointofsuspension；andthenthependularmovementistranslatedbyaformula。Buttheproblemdefiesalltheartificesofanalysisiftheoscillatingbodyisarealbody，endowedwithvolumeandfriction；ifthesuspensorythreadisarealthread，endowedwithweightandflexibility；ifthepointofsupportisarealpoint，endowedwithresistanceandcapableofdeflection。Sowithotherproblems，howeversimple。Theexactrealityescapestheformula。

Yes，itwouldbeafinethingtoputtheworldintoanequation，toassumeasthefirstprincipleacellfilledwithalbumenandbytransformationaftertransformationtodiscoverlifeunderitsthousandaspectsasthegeometriciandiscoverstheellipseandtheothercurvesbyexamininghisconicsection。Yes，itwouldbemagnificentandenoughtoaddacubittoourstature。Alas，howgreatlymustweabateourpretensions！Therealityisbeyondourreachwhenitisonlyamatteroffollowingagrainofdustinitsfall；andwewouldundertaketoascendtheriveroflifeandtraceittoitssource！Theproblemisamorearduousonethanthatwhichalgebradeclinestosolve。Thereareformidableunknownquantitieshere，moredifficulttodecipherthantheresistances，thedeflectionsandthefrictionsofthependulum。Letuseliminatethem，thatwemaymoreeasilypropoundthetheory。

Verywell；butthenmyconfidenceinthisnaturalhistorywhichrepudiatesnatureandgivesidealconceptionsprecedenceoverrealfactsisshaken。

So，withoutseekingtheopportunity，whichisnotmybusiness，Itakeitwhenitpresentsitself；Iexaminethetheoryofevolutionfromeveryside；

and，asthatwhichIhavebeenassuredisthemajesticdomeofamonumentcapableofdefyingtheagesappearstometobenomorethanabladder，I

irreverentlydigmypinintoit。

Hereisthelatestdig。Adaptabilitytoavarieddietisanelementofwell-beingintheanimal，afactorofprimeimportancefortheextensionandpredominanceofitsraceinthebitterstruggleforlife。Themostunfortunatespecieswouldbethatwhichdependedforitsexistenceonadietsoexclusivethatnoothercouldreplaceit。WhatwouldbecomeoftheSwallowifherequired，inordertolive，oneparticularGnat，asingleGnat，alwaysthesame？WhenoncethisGnathaddisappeared——andthelifeoftheMosquitoisnotalongone——thebirdwoulddieofstarvation。

Fortunatelyforhimselfandforthehappinessofourhomes，theSwallowgulpsthemalldownindiscriminately，togetherwithahostofotherinsectsthatperformaerialballets。WhatwouldbecomeoftheLarkwerehisgizzardabletodigestonlyoneseed，invariablythesame？Whentheseasonforthisseedwasover——andtheseasonisalwaysashortone——thehaunterofthefurrowswouldperish。

Isnotman"scomplaisantstomach，adaptedtothelargestvarietyofnourishment，oneofhisgreatzoologicalprivileges？Heisthusrenderedindependentofclimates，seasonsandlatitudes。AndtheDog:howisitthatofallthedomesticanimalshealoneisabletoaccompanyuseverywhere，evenonthemostarduousexpeditions？TheDogagainisomnivorousandthereforeacosmopolitan。

Thediscoveryofanewdish，saidBrillat-Savarin，isofgreaterimportancetohumanitythanthediscoveryofanewplanet。Theaphorismisnearertothetruththanitappearstobeinitshumorousform。Certainlythemanwhowasthefirsttothinkofcrushingwheat，kneadingflourandcookingthepastebetweentwohotstoneswasmoredeservingthanthediscovererofthetwo-hundredthasteroid。TheinventionofthepotatoiscertainlyasvaluableasthatofNeptune，gloriousasthelatterwas。Allthatincreasesouralimentaryresourcesisadiscoveryofthefirstmerit。Andwhatistrueofmancannotbeotherthantrueofanimals。Theworldbelongstothestomachwhichisindependentofspecialities。Thistruthisofthekindthathasonlytobestatedtobeproved。

Letusnowreturntoourinsects。IfIamtobelievetheevolutionists，thevariousgame-huntingWaspsaredescendedfromasmallnumberoftypes，whicharethemselvesderived，byanincalculablenumberofconcatenations，fromafewamoebae，afewmoneraandlastlyfromthefirstclotofprotoplasmwhichwascasuallycondensed。Letusnotgobackasfarasthat；

letusnotplungeintothefogswhereillusionanderrortooeasilyfindalurking-place。Letusconsiderasubjectwithexactlimitstoit；thisistheonlywaytounderstandoneanother。

TheSphegidaearedescendedfromasingletype，whichitselfwasalreadyahighly-developeddescendantand，likeitssuccessors，feditsfamilyonprey。Theclosesimilarityinform，incolouringand，aboveall，inhabitsseemtorefertheTachytestothesameorigin。Thisisample；letusbesatisfiedwithit。Andnowpleasetellme，whatdidthisprototypeoftheSphegidaehunt？Wasitsdietvariedoruniform？Ifwecannotdecide，letusexaminethetwocases。

Thedietwasvaried。IheartilycongratulatethefirstbornoftheSphex-

wasps。Sheenjoyedthemostfavourableconditionsforleavingaprosperousoffspring。Accommodatingherselftoanykindofpreynotdisproportionatetoherstrength，sheavoidedthedearthofagivenspeciesofgameatthisorthattimeandinthisorthatplace；shealwaysfoundthewherewithaltoendowherfamilymagnificently，theybeing，forthatmatter，fairlyindifferenttothenatureofthevictuals，providedthattheseconsistedoffreshinsect-flesh，asthetastesoftheircousinsmanytimesremovedprovetothisday。ThismatriarchoftheSphexclanborewithinherselfthebestchancesofassuringvictorytoheroffspringinthatpitilessfightforexistencewhicheliminatestheweaklyandincapableandallowsnonebutthestrongandindustrioustosurvive；shepossessedanaptitudeofgreatvaluewhichatavismcouldnotfailtohanddownandwhichherdescendants，whoaregreatlyinterestedinpreservingthismagnificentinheritance，musthavepermanentlyadoptedandevenaccentuatedfromonegenerationtothenext，fromonebranch，oneoffshoot，toanother。

Insteadofthisunscrupulouslyomnivorousrace，levyingbootyuponeverykindofgame，toitsverygreatadvantage，whatdoweseeto-day？EachSphexisstupidlylimitedtoanunvaryingdiet；shehuntsonlyonekindofprey，thoughherlarvaacceptsthemall。OnewillhavenothingbuttheEphippigerandmusthaveafemaleatthat；anotherwillhavenothingbuttheCricket。ThisonehuntstheLocustandnothingelse；thatonetheMantisandtheEmpusa。YetanotherisaddictedtotheGreyWormandanothertotheLooper。

Fools！Howgreatwasyourmistakeinallowingthewiseeclecticismofyourancestress，whoserelicsnowreposeinthehardmudofsomelacustrianstratum，tobecomeobsolete！Howmuchbetterwouldthingsbeforyouandyours！Abundanceisassured；painfulandoftenfruitlesssearchesareavoided；thelarderiscrammedwithoutbeingsubjecttotheaccidentsoftime，placeandclimate。WhenEphippigersrunshort，youfallbackuponCrickets；whentherearenoCrickets，youcaptureGrasshoppers。Butno，mybeautifulSphex-wasps，youwerenotsuchfoolsasthat。Ifinourdaysyouareeachconfinedtoastandingfamily-dish，itisbecauseyourancestressofthelacustrianschistsnevertaughtyouvariety。

Couldshehavetaughtyouuniformity？LetussupposethattheSphexofantiquity，anoviceinthegastronomicart，preparedherpottedmeatswithasinglekindofgame，nomatterwhat。Itwasthenherdescendantswho，subdividedintogroupsandconstitutedintosomanydistinctspeciesbytheslowtravailofthecenturies，realizedthatinadditiontotheancestralfarethereexistedahostofotherfoods。Traditionbeingabandoned，therewasnothingtoguidetheirchoice。Theythereforetriedabitofeverythinginthewayofinsectgame，athap-hazard；andeachtimethelarva，whosetastesalonehadtobeconsulted，wassatisfiedwiththefoodsupplied，asitisto-dayintherefectoryprovisionedbymycare。

Everyattemptledtotheinventionofanewdish，animportantevent，accordingtothemasters，aninestimableresourceforthefamily，whoweretherebydeliveredfromthemenaceofdeathandenabledtothriveoverlargeareaswhencetheabsenceorrarityofauniformgamewouldhaveexcludedit。And，aftermakinguseofahostofdifferentviandsinordertoattaintheculinaryvarietywhichisto-dayadoptedbythewholeoftheSphexnation，loandbehold，eachspeciesconfinesitselftoasinglesortofgame，outsidewhicheveryspecimenisobstinatelyrefused，notattable，ofcourse，butinthehunting-field！Byyourexperiments，fromagetoage，tohavediscoveredvarietyindiet；tohavepractisedit，tothegreatadvantageofyourrace，andtoendupwithuniformity，thecauseofdecadence；tohaveknowntheexcellentandtorepudiateitforthemiddling:oh，mySphex-wasps，itwouldbestupidifthetheoryofevolutionwerecorrect！

Toavoidinsultingyouandalsofromrespectforcommonsense，Ipreferthereforetobelievethat，ifinourdaysyouconfineyourhuntingtoasinglekindofgame，itisbecauseyouhaveneverknownanyother。Iprefertobelievethatyourcommonancestress，yourprecursor，whetherhertastesweresimpleorcomplex，isapurechimera，for，iftheywereanyrelationshipbetweenyou，havingtestedeverythinginordertoarriveattheactualfoodofeachspecies，havingeateneverythingandfounditgratefultothestomach，youwouldnow，fromfirsttolast，beunprejudicedconsumers，omnivorousprogressives。Iprefertobelieve，inshort，thatthetheoryofevolutionispowerlesstoexplainyourdiet。Thisistheconclusiondrawnfromthedining-roominstalledinmyoldsardine-box。

CHAPTER9。RATIONINGACCORDINGTOSEX。

Consideredinrespectofquality，thefoodhasjustdisclosedourprofoundignoranceoftheoriginsofinstinct。Successfallstotheblusterers，totheimperturbabledogmatists，fromwhomanythingisacceptedifonlytheymakealittlenoise。Letusdiscardthisbadhabitandadmitthatreally，ifwegotothebottomofthings，weknownothingaboutanything。

Scientificallyspeaking，natureisariddletowhichhumancuriosityfindsnodefinitesolution。Hypothesisfollowshypothesis；thetheoreticalrubbish-heapgrowsbiggerandbigger；andstilltruthescapesus。Toknowhowtoknownothingmightwellbethelastwordofwisdom。

Consideredinrespectofquantity，thefoodsetsusotherproblems，nolessobscure。Thoseofuswhodevoteourselvesassiduouslytostudyingthecustomsofthegame-huntingWaspssoonfindourattentionarrestedbyaveryremarkablefact，atthetimewhenourmind，refusingtobesatisfiedwithsweepinggeneralities，whichourindolencetooreadilymakesshiftwith，seekstoenterasfaraspossibleintothesecretofthedetails，socuriousandsometimessoimportant，asandwhentheybecomebetter-knowntous。Thisfact，whichhaspreoccupiedmeformanyalongyear，isthevariablequantityoftheprovisionspackedintotheburrowasfoodforthelarva。

Eachspeciesisscrupulouslyfaithfultothedietofitsancestors。FormorethanaquarterofacenturyIhavebeenexploringmydistrict；andI

haveneverknownthediettovary。To-day，asthirtyyearsago，eachhuntressmusthavethegamewhichIfirstsawherpursuing。But，thoughthenatureofthevictualsisconstant，thequantityisnotso。Inthisrespectthedifferenceissogreatthathewouldneedtobeaverysuperficialobserverwhoshouldfailtoperceiveitonhisfirstexaminationoftheburrows。Inthebeginning，thisdifference，involvingtwo，three，fourtimesthequantityandmore，perplexedmeextremelyandledmetotheconclusionswhichIrejectto-day。

Here，amongtheinstancesmostfamiliartome，aresomeexamplesofthesevariationsinthenumberofvictimsprovidedforthelarva，victims，ofcourse，verynearlyidenticalinsize。InthelarderoftheYellow-wingedSphex，afterthevictuallingiscompletedandthehouseshutup，twoorthreeCricketsaresometimesfoundandsometimesfour。Stizusruficornis(Cf。“TheHuntingWasps“:chapter20；also“Bramble-beesandOthers“:

chapter9——Translator"sNote。)，establishedinsomeveinofsoftsandstone，placesthreePrayingMantesinonecellandfiveinanother。OfthecasketsfashionedbyAmedeus"Eumenes(Cf。“TheMason-wasps“:chapter1——Translator"sNote。)outofclayandbitsofstone，themorerichlyendowedcontaintensmallcaterpillars，themorepoorlyfurnishedfive。TheSandCerceris(Cf。“TheHuntingWasps“:chapter2——Translator"sNote。)

willsometimesprovidearationofeightWeevilsandsometimesoneoftwelveorevenmore。Mynotesaboundinabstractsofthiskind。Itisunnecessaryforthepurposeinhandtoquotethemall。ItwillserveourobjectbetterifIgivethedetailedinventoryoftheBee-eatingPhilanthusandoftheMantis-huntingTachytes，consideredespeciallywithregardtothequantityofthevictuals。

TheslayerofHive-beesisfrequentlyinmyneighbourhood；andIcanobtainfromherwiththeleasttroublethegreatestnumberofdata。InSeptemberI

seetheboldfilibusterflyingfromclumptoclumpofthepinkheatherpillagedbytheBee。Thebanditsuddenlyarrives，hovers，makesherchoiceandswoopsdown。Thetrickisdone:thepoorworker，withhertonguelollingfromhermouthinthedeath-struggle，iscarriedthroughtheairtotheundergroundden，whichisoftenaverylongwayfromthespotofthecapture。Thetricklingofearthyrefuse，onthebarebanks，orontheslopesoffootpaths，instantlyrevealsthedwellingsoftheravisher；and，asthePhilanthusalwaysworksinfairlypopulouscolonies，Iamable，bynotingthepositionofthecommunities，tomakesureoffruitfulexcavationsduringtheforcedinactivityofwinter。

Thesappingisalaborioustask，forthegalleriesruntoagreatdepth。

Favierwieldsthepickandspade；Ibreaktheclodswhichhebringsdownandopenthecells，whosecontents——cocoonsandremnantsofprovisions——I

atoncepourintoalittlescrewofpaper。Sometimes，whenthelarvaisnotdeveloped，thestackofBeesisintact；moreoftenthevictualshavebeenconsumed；butitisalwayspossibletotellthenumberofitemsprovided。

Theheads，abdomensandthoraxes，emptiedoftheirfleshysubstanceandreducedtothetoughouterskin，areeasilycounted。Ifthelarvahaschewedtheseovermuch，thewingsatleastareleft；thesearesaplessorganswhichthePhilanthusabsolutelyscorns。Theyarelikewisesparedbymoisture，putrefactionandtime，somuchsothatitisnomoredifficulttotakeaninventoryofacellseveralyearsoldthanoneofarecentcell。

Theessentialthingisnottooverlookanyofthesetinyrelicswhileplacingtheminthepaperbag，amidthethousandincidentsoftheexcavation。Therestoftheworkwillbedoneinthestudy，withtheaidofthelens，takingtheremainsheapbyheap；thewingswillbeseparatedfromthesurroundingrefuseandcountedinsetsoffour。Theresultwillgivetheamountoftheprovisions。Idonotrecommendthistasktoanyonewhoisnotendowedwithagoodstockofpatience，norabovealltoanyonewhodoesnotstartwiththeconvictionthatresultsofgreatinterestarecompatiblewithverymodestmeans。

Myinspectioncoversatotalofonehundredandthirty-sixcells，whicharedividedasinthetablebelow:

2cellseachcontaining1Bee52cellseachcontaining2Bees36cellseachcontaining3Bees36cellseachcontaining4Bees9cellseachcontaining5Bees1cellcontaining6Bees——

136

TheMantis-huntingTachytesconsumesitsheapofMantes，thehornyenvelopeincluded，withoutleavinganyremainsbutscantycrumbs，quiteinsufficienttoestablishthenumberofitemsprovided。Afterthemealiscompleted，anyinventoryoftherationsbecomesimpossible。Ithereforehaverecoursetothecellswhichstillcontaintheeggortheveryyounglarvaand，aboveall，tothosewhoseprovisionshavebeeninvadedbyatinyparasiticGnat，aTachina(Cf。“TheHuntingWasps“:chapters4and16——Translator"sNote。)，whichdrainsthegamewithoutcuttingitupandleavesthewholeskinintact。Twenty-fivelarders，puttothecount，givemethefollowingresult:

8cellseachcontaining3items5cellseachcontaining4items4cellseachcontaining6items3cellseachcontaining7items2cellseachcontaining8items1cellcontaining9items1cellcontaining12items1cellcontaining16items——

25

ThepredominantgameisthePrayingMantis，green；nextcomestheGreyMantis，ash-coloured。AfewEmpusaemakeupthetotal。Thespecimensvaryindimensionswithinfairlyelasticlimits:Imeasuresomewhichareathirdtoahalfinchlong，averagingtwo-thirdstooneinchlong，andsomewhicharetwo-fifths，averagingthreequarters。Iseeprettyplainlythattheirnumberincreasesinproportionastheirsizediminishes，asthoughtheTachyteswereseekingtomakeupforthesmallnessofthegamebyincreasingtheamount；nonethelessIfinditquiteimpossibletodetecttheleastequivalencebycombiningthetwofactorsofnumberandsize。Ifthehuntressreallyestimatestheprovisions，shedoessoveryroughly；herhouseholdaccountsarenotatallwellkept；eachheadofgame，largeorsmall，mustalwayscountasoneinhereyes。

Putonmyguard，Ilooktoseewhetherthehoney-gatheringBeeshaveadoubleservice，likethegame-huntingWasps"。Iestimatetheamountofhoneyedpaste；Igaugethecupsintendedtocontainit。Inmanycasestheresultresemblesthefirstobtained:theabundanceofprovisionsvariesfromonecelltoanother。CertainOsmiae(O。cornutaandO。tricornis(Cf。

“Bramble-beesandOthers“:passim；and，inparticular，chapters3to5——

Translator"sNote。))feedtheirlarvaeonaheapofpollen-dustmoistenedinthemiddlewithaverylittledisgorgedhoney。Oneoftheseheapsmaybethreeorfourtimesthesizeofsomeotherinthesamegroupofcells。IfI

detachfromitspebblethenestoftheMason-bee，theChalicodomaoftheWalls，Iseecellsoflargecapacity，sumptuouslyprovisioned；closebesidetheseIseeothers，oflesscapacity，withvictualsparsimoniouslyallotted。Thefactisgeneral；anditisrightthatweshouldaskourselvesthereasonforthesemarkeddifferencesintherelativequantityoffoodstuffsandfortheseunequalrations。

Iatlastbegantosuspectthatthisisfirstandforemostaquestionofsex。InmanyBeesandWasps，indeed，themaleandthefemalediffernotonlyincertaindetailsofinternalorexternalstructure——apointofviewwhichdoesnotaffectthepresentproblem——butalsoinlengthandbulk，whichdependinahighdegreeonthequantityoffood。

LetusconsiderinparticulartheBee-eatingPhilanthus。Comparedwiththefemale，themaleisamereabortion。Ifindthatheisonlyathirdtohalfthesizeoftheothersex，asfarasIcanjudgebysightalone。Toobtainexactlytherespectivequantitiesofsubstance，Ishouldneeddelicatebalances，capableofweighingdowntoamilligramme。Myclumsyvillager"sscales，onwhichpotatoesmaybeweighedtowithinakilogrammeorso，donotpermitofthisprecision。Imustthereforerelyontheevidenceofmysightalone，evidence，forthatmatter，whichisamplysufficientinthepresentinstance。Comparedwithhismate，theMantis-huntingTachytesislikewiseapigmy。Wearequiteastonishedtoseehimpesteringhisgiantessonthethresholdoftheburrows。

Weobservedifferencesnolesspronouncedofsize——andconsequentlyofvolume，massandweight——inthetwosexesofmanyOsmiae。Thedifferencesarelessemphatic，butarestillonthesameside，intheCerceres，theStizi，theSpheges，theChalicodomaeandmanymore。Itisthereforetherulethatthemaleissmallerthanthefemale。Thereareofcoursesomeexceptions，thoughnotmany；andIamfarfromdenyingthem。IwillmentioncertainAnthidiawherethemaleisthelargerofthetwo。Nevertheless，inthegreatmajorityofcasesthefemalehastheadvantage。

Andthisisasitshouldbe。Itisthemother，themotheralone，wholaboriouslydigsundergroundgalleriesandchambers，kneadstheplasterforcoatingthecells，buildsthedwelling-houseofcementandbitsofgrit，boresthewoodanddividestheburrowintostoreys，cutsthedisksofleafwhichwillbejoinedtogethertoformhoney-pots，worksuptheresingatheredindropsfromthewoundsinthepine-treestobuildceilingsintheemptyspiralofaSnail-shell，huntstheprey，paralysesitanddragsitindoors，gathersthepollen-dust，preparesthehoneyinhercrop，storesandmixesthepaste。Thisseverelabour，soimperiousandsoactive，inwhichtheinsect"swholelifeisspent，manifestlydemandsabodilystrengthwhichwouldbequiteuselesstothemale，theamoroustrifler。

Thus，asageneralrule，intheinsectswhichcarryonanindustrythefemaleisthestrongersex。

Doesthispre-eminenceimplymoreabundantprovisionsduringthelarvalstage，whentheinsectisacquiringthephysicalgrowthwhichitwillnotexceedinitsfuturedevelopment？Simplereflectionsuppliestheanswer:

yes，theaggregategrowthhasitsequivalentintheaggregateprovisions。

ThoughsoslightacreatureasthemalePhilanthusfindsarationoftwoBeessufficientforhisneeds，thefemale，twiceorthriceasbulky，willconsumethreetosixatleast。IfthemaleTachytesrequiresthreeMantes，hisconsort"smealwilldemandabatchofsomethingliketen。Withhercomparativecorpulence，thefemaleOsmiawillneedaheapofpastetwiceorthriceasgreatasthatofherbrother，themale。Allthisisobvious；theanimalcannotmakemuchoutoflittle。

Despitethisevidence，Iwasanxioustoenquirewhethertherealitycorrespondedwiththeprevisionsofthemostelementarylogic。Instancesarenotunknowninwhichthemostsagaciousdeductionshavebeenfoundtodisagreewiththefacts。Duringthelastfewyears，therefore，Ihaveprofitedbymywinterleisuretocollect，fromspotsnotedasfavourableduringtheworking-season，afewhandfulsofcocoonsofvariousDigger-

wasps，notablyoftheBee-eatingPhilanthus，whohasjustfurnisheduswithaninventoryofprovisions。Surroundingthesecocoonsandthrustagainstthewallofthecellweretheremnantsofthevictuals——wings，corselets，heads，wing-cases——acountofwhichenabledmetodeterminehowmanyheadofgamehadbeenprovidedforthelarva，nowenclosedinitssilkenabode。

Ithusobtainedthecorrectlistofprovisionsforeachofthehuntress"

cocoons。Ontheotherhand，Iestimatedthequantitiesofhoney，orratherIgaugedthereceptacles，thecells，whosecapacityisproportionatetothemassoftheprovisionsstored。Aftermakingthesepreparations，registeringthecells，cocoonsandrationsandputtingallmyfiguresinorder，Ihadonlytowaitforthehatching-seasontodeterminethesex。

Well，Ifoundthatlogicandexperimentwereinperfectagreement。ThePhilanthus-cocoonswithtwoBeesgavememales，alwaysmales；thosewithalargerrationgavemefemales。FromtheTachytes-cocoonswithdoubleortreblethatrationIobtainedfemales。WhenfeduponfourorfiveNut-

weevils，theSandCerceriswasamale；whenfeduponeightorten，afemale。Inshort，abundantprovisionsandspaciouscellsyieldfemales；

scantyprovisionsandnarrowcellsyieldmales。ThisisalawuponwhichI

mayhenceforthrely。

Atthestagewhichwehavenowreachedaquestionarises，aquestionofmajorimportance，touchingthemostnebulousaspectofembryogeny。HowisitthatthelarvaofthePhilanthus，totakeaparticularcase，receivesthreetofiveBeesfromitsmotherwhenitistobecomeafemaleandnotmorethantwowhenitistobecomeamale？Herethevariousheadofgameareidenticalinsize，inflavour，innutritiveproperties。Thefood-valueispreciselyinproportiontothenumberofitemssupplied，ahelpfuldetailwhicheliminatestheuncertaintieswhereinwemightbeleftbytheprovisionofgameofdifferentspeciesandvaryingsizes。Howisit，then，thatahostofBeesandWasps，ofhoney-gatherersaswellashuntresses，storealargerorsmallerquantityofvictualsintheircellsaccordingasthenurselingsaretobecomefemalesormales？

Theprovisionsarestoredbeforetheeggsarelaid；andtheseprovisionsaremeasuredbytheneedsofthesexofaneggstillinsidethemother"sbody。Iftheegg-layingweretoprecedetherationing，whichoccasionallytakesplace，aswiththeOdyneri(Cf。“TheHuntingWasps“:chapters2and8——Translator"sNote。)，forexample，wemightimaginethatthegravidmotherenquiresintothesexoftheegg，recognizesitandstacksvictualsaccordingly。But，whetherdestinedtobecomeamaleorafemale，theeggisalwaysthesame；thedifferences——andIhavenodoubtthattherearedifferences——areinthedomainoftheinfinitelysubtle，themysterious，imperceptibleeventothemostpractisedembryogenist。Whatcanapoorinsectsee——intheabsolutedarknessofitsburrow，moreover——wheresciencearmedwithopticalinstrumentshasnotyetsucceededinseeinganything？

Andbesides，evenwereitmorediscerningthanweareinthesegeneticobscurities，itsvisualdiscernmentwouldhavenothingwhereupontopractice。AsIhavesaid，theeggislaidonlywhenthecorrespondingprovisionsarestored。Themealispreparedbeforethelarvawhichistoeatithascomeintotheworld。Thesupplyisgenerouslycalculatedbytheneedsofthecomingcreature；thedining-roomisbuiltlargeorsmalltocontainagiantoradwarfstillgerminatingintheovarianducts。Themother，therefore，knowsthesexofhereggbeforehand。

Astrangeconclusion，whichplayshavocwithourcurrentnotions！Thelogicofthefactsleadsustoitdirectly。Andyetitseemssoabsurdthat，beforeacceptingit，weseektoescapethepredicamentbyanotherabsurdity。Wewonderwhetherthequantityoffoodmaynotdecidethefateoftheegg，originallysexless。Givenmorefoodandmoreroom，theeggwouldbecomeafemale；givenlessfoodandlessroom，itwouldbecomeamale。Themother，obeyingherinstincts，wouldstoremorefoodinthiscaseandlessinthat；shewouldbuildnowalargeandnowasmallcell；andthefutureoftheeggwouldbedeterminedbytheconditionsoffoodandshelter。

Letusmakeeverytest，everyexperiment，downtotheabsurd:thecrudeabsurdityofthemomenthassometimesprovedtobethetruthofthemorrow。

Besides，thewell-knownstoryoftheHive-beeshouldmakeuswaryofrejectingparadoxicalsuppositions。Isitnotbyincreasingthesizeofthecell，bymodifyingthequalityandquantityofthefood，thatthepopulationofahivetransformsaworkerlarvaintoafemaleorroyallarva？Itistruethatthesexremainsthesame，sincetheworkersareonlyincompletelydevelopedfemales。Thechangeisnonethelessmiraculous，somuchsothatitisalmostlawfultoenquirewhetherthetransformationmaynotgofurther，turningamale，thatpoorabortion，intoasturdyfemalebymeansofaplentifuldiet。Letusthereforeresorttoexperiment。

IhaveathandsomelongbitsofreedinthehollowofwhichanOsmia，theThree-hornedOsmia，hasstackedhercells，boundedbyearthenpartitions。I

haverelatedelsewhere(Cf。“Bramble-beesandOthers“:chapters2to5——

Translator"sNote。)howIobtainasmanyofthesenestsasIcouldwishfor。Whenthereedissplitlengthwise，thecellscomeintoview，togetherwiththeirprovisions，theegglyingonthepaste，oreventhebuddinglarva。Observationsmultipliedadnauseamhavetaughtmewheretofindthemalesandwherethefemalesinthisapiary。Themalesoccupythefore-partofthereed，theendnexttotheopening；thefemalesareatthebottom，nexttotheknotwhichservesasanaturalstoppertothechannel。Fortherest，thequantityoftheprovisionsinitselfpointstothesex:forthefemalesitistwiceorthriceasgreatasforthemales。

Inthescantily-providedcells，Idoubleortrebletherationwithfoodtakenfromothercells；inthecellswhichareplentifullysupplied，I

reducetheportiontoahalforathird。Controlsareleft:thatistosay，somecellsremainuntouched，withtheirprovisionsasIfoundthem，bothinthepartwhichisabundantlyprovidedandinthatwhichismoremeagrelyrationed。Thetwohalvesofthereedarethenrestoredtotheiroriginalpositionandfirmlyboundwithafewturnsofwire。Weshallsee，whenthetimecomes，whetherthesechangesincreasingordecreasingthevictualshavedeterminedthesex。

Hereistheresult:thecellswhichatfirstweresparinglyprovided，butwhosesuppliesweredoubledortrebledbymyartifice，containmales，asforetoldbytheoriginalamountofvictuals。ThesurpluswhichIaddedhasnotcompletelydisappeared，farfromit:thelarvahashadmorethanitneededforitsevolutionasamale；and，beingunabletoconsumethewholeofitscopiousprovisions，ithasspunitscocooninthemidstoftheremainingpollen-dust。Thesemales，sorichlysupplied，areofhandsomebutnotexaggeratedproportions；youcanseethattheadditionalfoodhasprofitedthemtosomesmallextent。

Thecellswithabundantprovisions，reducedtoahalforathirdbymyintervention，containcocoonsassmallasthemalecocoons，pale，translucentandlimp，whereasthenormalcocoonsaredark-brown，opaqueandfirmtothetouch。These，weperceiveatonce，aretheworkofstarved，anaemicweavers，who，failingtosatisfytheirappetiteandhavingeatenthelastgrainofpollen，have，beforedying，donetheirbestwiththeirpoorlittledropofsilk。Thosecocoonswhichcorrespondwiththesmallestallowanceoffoodcontainonlyadeadandshrivelledlarva；others，inwhosecasetheprovisionswerelessmarkedlydecreased，containfemalesintheadultform，butofverydiminutivesize，comparablewiththatofthemales，orevensmaller。AsforthecontrolswhichIwascarefultoleave，theyconfirmthefactthatIhadmalesinthepartneartheorificeofthereedandfemalesinthepartneartheknotclosingthechannel。

Isthisenoughtodisposeoftheveryimprobablesuppositionthatthedeterminationofthesexdependsonthequantityoffood？Strictlyspeaking，thereisstillonedooropentodoubt。Itmaybesaidthatexperiment，withitsartifices，doesnotsucceedinrealizingthedelicatenaturalconditions。Tomakeshortworkofallobjections，Icannotdobetterthanhaverecoursetofactsinwhichtheexperimenter"shandhasnotintervened。Theparasiteswillsupplyuswiththesefacts；theywillshowushowalienthequantityandeventhequalityofthefoodarefromeitherspecificorsexualcharacters。Thesubjectofenquirythusbecomesdouble，insteadofsingleasitwaswhenIplunderedonecellinmysplitreedstoenrichanother。Letusfollowthisdoublecurrentforalittlewhile。

AnAmmophila，theSilkyAmmophila(Cf。“TheHuntingWasps“:chapter13——

Translator"sNote。)，whichfeedsonLoopercaterpillars(KnownalsoasMeasuring-worms，Inchworms，SpanwormsandSurveyors:thecaterpillarsoftheGeometridMoths——Translator"sNote。)，hasjustbeenrearedinmyrefectoryonSpiders。Repletetotheregulationpoint，itspinsitscocoon。

Whatwillemergefromthis？Ifthereaderexpectstoseeanymodifications，causedbyadietwhichthespecies，lefttoitself，hadnevereffected，lethimbeundeceivedandthatquickly。TheAmmophilafedonSpidersispreciselythesameastheAmmophilafedoncaterpillars，justasmanfedonriceisthesameasmanfedonwheat。InvainIpassmylensovertheproductofmyart:Icannotdistinguishitfromthenaturalproduct；andI

defythemostmeticulousentomologisttoperceiveanydifferencebetweenthetwo。Itisthesamewithmyotherboarderswhohavehadtheirdietaltered。

Iseetheobjectioncoming。Thedifferencesmaybeinappreciable，formyexperimentstouchonlyafirstrungoftheladder。Whatwouldhappeniftheladderwereprolonged，iftheoffspringoftheAmmophilafedonSpidersweregiventhesamefoodgenerationaftergeneration？Thesedifferences，atfirstimperceptible，mightbecomeaccentuateduntiltheygrewintodistinctspecificcharacters；thehabitsandinstinctsmightalsochange；andintheendthecaterpillar-huntressmightbecomeaSpider-huntress，withashapeofherown。Aspecieswouldbecreated，for，amongthefactorsatworkinthetransformationofanimals，themostimportantofallisincontestablythetypeoffood，thenatureofthethingwherewiththeanimalbuildsitself。AllthisismuchmoreimportantthanthetrivialitieswhichDarwinreliesupon。

Tocreateaspeciesismagnificentintheory，sothatwefindourselvesregrettingthattheexperimenterisnotabletocontinuetheattempt。But，oncetheAmmophilahasflownoutofthelaboratorytoslakeherthirstattheflowersintheneighbourhood，justtotrytofindheragainandinducehertoentrustyouwithhereggs，whichyouwouldrearintherefectory，toincreasethetasteforSpidersfromgenerationtogeneration！Merelytodreamofitweremadness。Shallwe，inourhelplessness，admitourselvesbeatenbytheevolutionaryeffectsofdiet？Notabitofit！Oneexperiment——andyoucouldnotwishforamoredecisive——iscontinuallyinprogress，apartfromallartifices，onanenormousscale。Itisbroughttoournoticebytheparasites。

Theymust，wearetold，haveacquiredthehabitoflivingonothersinordertosavethemselvesworkandtoleadaneasierlife。Thepoorwretcheshavemadeasorryblunder。Theirlifeisofthehardest。Ifafewestablishthemselvescomfortably，dearthanddirefamineawaitmostoftherest。

Therearesome——lookatcertainoftheOil-beetles——exposedtosomanychancesofdestructionthat，tosaveone，theyareobligedtoprocreateathousand。Theyseldomenjoyafreemeal。Somestrayintothehousesofhostswhosevictualsdonotsuitthem；othersfindonlyarationquiteinsufficientfortheirneeds；others——andtheseareverynumerous——findnothingatall。Whatmisadventures，whatdisappointmentsdotheseneedycreaturessuffer，unaccustomedastheyaretowork！Letmerelatesomeoftheirmisfortunes，gleanedatrandom。

TheGirdledDioxys(D。cincta)lovestheamplehoney-storesoftheChalicodomaofthePebbles。Thereshefindsabundantfood，soabundantthatshecannoteatitall。Ihavealreadypassedcensureonthiswaste。(Cf。

“TheMason-bees“:chapter10——Translator"sNote。)NowalittleOsmia(O。

cyanoxantha，Perez)makeshernestintheMason"sdesertedcells；andthisBee，avictimofherill-omeneddwelling，alsoharbourstheDioxys。Thisisamanifesterrorontheparasite"spart。ThenestoftheChalicodoma，thehemisphereofmortaronitspebble，iswhatsheislookingfor，toconfidehereggstoit。Butthenestisnowoccupiedbyastranger，bytheOsmia，acircumstanceunknowntotheDioxys，whocomesstealinguptolayheregginthemother"sabsence。Thedomeisfamiliartoher。Shecouldnotknowitbetterifshehadbuiltitherself。Hereshewasborn；hereiswhatherfamilywants。Moreover，thereisnothingtoarousehersuspicions:theoutsideofthehomehasnotchangeditsappearanceinanyrespect；thestopperofgravelandgreenputty，whichlaterwillformaviolentcontrastwithitswhitefront，isnotyetconstructed。Shegoesinandseesaheapofhoney。ToherthinkingthiscanbenothingbuttheChalicodoma"sportion。Weourselveswouldbebeguiled，intheOsmia"sabsence。Shelayshereggsinthisdeceptivecell。

Hermistake，whichiseasytounderstand，doesnotinanywaydetractfromhergreattalentsasaparasite，butitisaseriousmatterforthefuturelarva。TheOsmia，infact，inviewofhersmalldimensions，collectsbutaveryscantystoreoffood:alittleloafofpollenandhoney，hardlythesizeofanaveragepea。SucharationisinsufficientfortheDioxys。I

havedescribedherasawasteroffoodwhenherlarvaisestablished，accordingtocustom，inthecelloftheMason-bee。Thisdescriptionnolongerapplies；notintheveryleast。InadvertentlystrayingtotheOsmia"stable，thelarvahasnoexcuseforturningupitsnose；itdoesnotleavepartofthefoodtogobad；iteatsupthelotwithouthavinghadenough。

Thisfamine-strickenrefectorycangiveusnothingbutanabortion。Asamatteroffact，theDioxyssubjectedtothisniggardlytestdoesnotdie，fortheparasitemusthaveatoughconstitutiontoenableittofacethedisastroushazardswhichlieinwaitforit；butitattainsbarelyhalfitsordinarydimensions，whichmeansone-eighthofitsnormalbulk。Toseeitthusdiminished，wearesurprisedatitstenaciousvitality，whichenablesittoreachtheadultforminspiteoftheextremedeficiencyoffood。

Meanwhile，thisadultisstilltheDioxys；thereisnochangeofanykindinhershapeorcolouring。Moreover，thetwosexesarerepresented；thisfamilyofpigmieshasitsmalesandfemales。DearthandthefarinaceousmessintheOsmia"scellhashadnomoreinfluenceoverspeciesorsexthanabundanceandflowinghoneyintheChalicodoma"shome。

ThesamemaybesaidoftheSpottedSapyga(S。punctata(AparasiticWasp。

Cf。“TheMason-bees“:chapters9and10——Translator"sNote。))，which，aparasiteoftheThree-prongedOsmia，adenizenofthebramble，andoftheGoldenOsmia，anoccupantofemptySnail-shells，straysintothehouseoftheTinyOsmia(O。parvula(Thisbeemakesherhomeinthebrambles。Cf。

“Bramble-dwellersandOthers“:chapters2and3——Translator"sNote。))，where，forlackofsufficientfood，itdoesnotattainhalfitsnormalsize。

ALeucopsis(Cf。“TheMason-bees“:chapter11——Translator"sNote。)insertshereggsthroughthecementwallofourthreeChalicodomae。Iknowherundertwonames。WhenshecomesfromtheChalicodomaofthePebblesorWalls，whoseopulentlarvasaturatesherwithfood，shedeservesbyherlargesizethenameofLeucopsisgigas，whichFabriciusbestowsuponher；

whenshecomesfromtheChalicodomaoftheSheds，shedeservesnomorethanthenameofL。grandis，whichisallthatKluggrantsher。Withasmallerration“thegiant“istosomedegreediminishedandbecomesnomorethan“thelarge。“WhenshecomesfromtheChalicodomaoftheShrubs，sheissmallerstill；and，ifsomenomenclatorweretoseektodescribeher，shewouldnolongerdeservetobecalledmorethanmiddling。Fromdimension2

shehasdescendedtodimension1withoutceasingtobethesameinsect，despitethechangeofdiet；andatthesametimebothsexesarepresentinthethreenurselings，despitethevariationinthequantityofvictuals。

IobtainAnthraxsinuata(“TheMason-bees“:chapters8，10and11——

Translator"sNote。)fromvariousbees"nests。WhensheissuesfromthecocoonsoftheThree-hornedOsmia，especiallythefemalecocoons，sheattainsthegreatestdevelopmentthatIknowof。WhensheissuesfromthecocoonsoftheBlueOsmia(O。cyanea，KIRB。)，sheissometimeshardlyone-

thirdthelengthwhichtheotherOsmiagivesher。Andwestillhavethetwosexes——thatgoeswithoutsaying——andstillidenticallythesamespecies。

TwoAnthidia，workinginresin，A。septemdentatum，LATR。，andA。

bellicosum，LEP。(FortheseResin-bees，cf。“Bramble-beesandOthers“:

chapter10——Translator"sNote。)，establishtheirdomicileinoldSnail-

shells。ThesecondharbourstheBurntZonitis(Z。proeusta(Cf。“TheGlow-

wormandOtherBeetles“:chapter6——Translator"sNote。))。AmplynourishedthisMeloethenacquireshernormalsize，thesizeinwhichsheusuallyfiguresinthecollections。AlikeprosperityawaitsherwhensheusurpstheprovisionsofMegachilesericans。(ForthisBee，theSilkyLeaf-cutter，cf。“Bramble-beesandOthers“:chapter8——Translator"sNote。)ButtheimprudentcreaturesometimesallowsitselftobecarriedawaytothemeagretableofthesmallestofourAnthidia(A。scapulare，LATR。(ACotton-bee，cf。idem:chapter9——Translator"sNote。))，whomakeshernestsindrybramble-stems。Thescantyfaremakesawretcheddwarfoftheoffspringbelongingtoeithersex，withoutdeprivingthemofanyoftheirracialfeatures。WestillseetheBurntZonitis，withthedistinctivesignofthespecies:thesingedpatchatthetipofthewing-cases。

AndtheotherMeloidae——Cantharides，Cerocomae，Mylabres(FortheseBlister-beetlesorOil-beetles，cf。“TheGlow-wormandOtherBeetles“:

chapter6——Translator"sNote。)——towhatinequalitiesofsizearetheynotsubject，irrespectiveofsex！Therearesome——andtheyarenumerous——whosedimensionsfalltoahalf，athird，aquarteroftheregulardimensions。

Amongthesedwarfs，thesemisbegottenones，thesevictimsofatrophy，therearefemalesaswellasmales；andtheirsmallnessbynomeanscoolstheiramorousardour。Theseneedycreatures，Irepeat，haveahardlifeofit。

Whencedotheycome，thesediminutiveBeetles，ifnotfromdining-roomsinsufficientlysuppliedfortheirneeds？Theirparasiticalhabitsexposethemtoharshvicissitudes。Nomatter:indearthaswellasinabundancethetwosexesappearandthespecificfeaturesremainunchanged。

Itisunnecessarytolingerlongeroverthissubject。Thedemonstrationiscompleted。Theparasitestellusthatchangesinthequantityandqualityoffooddonotleadtoanytransformationofspecies。FeduponthelarvaoftheThree-hornedOsmiaoroftheBlueOsmia，Anthraxsinuata，whetherofhandsomeproportionsoradwarf，isstillAnthraxsinuata；fedupontheallowanceoftheAnthidiumoftheemptySnail-shells，theAnthidiumofthebrambles，theMegachileordoubtlessmanyothers，theBurntZonitisisstilltheBurntZonitis。Yetvariationofdietoughttobeaverypotentialfactorintheproblemofprogresstowardsanotherform。Isnottheworldoflivingcreaturesruledbythestomach？Andthevalueofthisfactorisunity，changingnothingintheproduct。

Thesameparasitestellus——andthisisthechiefobjectofmydigression——

thatexcessordeficiencyofnutrimentdoesnotdeterminethesex。Soweareoncemoreconfrontedwiththestrangeproposition，whichisnowmorepositivethanever，thattheinsectwhichamassesprovisionsinproportiontotheneedsoftheeggabouttobelaidknowsbeforehandwhatthesexofthiseggwillbe。Perhapstherealityisevenmoreparadoxicalstill。I

shallreturntothesubjectafterdiscussingtheOsmiae，whoareveryweightywitnessesinthisgraveaffair。(Cf。“Bramble-beesandOthers“:

chapters3to5。Thestudentisrecommendedtoreadthesethreechaptersinconjunctionwiththepresentchapter，towhichtheyformasequel，withthatontheOsmiae(chapter2oftheabovevolume)intervening——

Translator"sNote。)

CHAPTER10。THEBEE-EATINGPHILANTHUS。

TomeetamongtheWasps，thoseeagerloversofflowers，aspeciesthatgoeshuntingmoreorlessonitsownaccountiscertainlyanotableevent。Thatthelarderofthegrubshouldbeprovidedwithpreyisnaturalenough；butthattheprovider，whosedietishoney，shouldherselfmakeuseofthecaptivesisanythingbuteasytounderstand。Wearequiteastonishedtoseeanectar-drinkerbecomeablood-drinker。Butourastonishmentceasesifweconsiderthingsmoreclosely。Thedoublemethodoffeedingismoreapparentthanreal:thecropwhichfillsitselfwithsugaryliquiddoesnotgorgeitselfwithgame。TheOdynerus，whendiggingintothebodyofherprey，doesnottouchtheflesh，afareabsolutelyscornedascontrarytohertastes；shesatisfiesherselfwithlappingupthedefensivedropwhichthegrub(TheLarvaofChrysomelapopuli，thePoplarLeaf-beetle——Translator"sNote。)distilsattheendofitsintestine。Thisfluidnodoubtrepresentstohersomehighly-flavouredbeveragewithwhichsheseasonsfromtimetotimethestapledietfetchedfromthedrinking-baroftheflowers，someappetizingcondimentorperhaps——whoknows？——somesubstituteforhoney。

Thoughthequalitiesofthedelicacyescapeme，IatleastperceivethattheOdynerusdoesnotcovetanythingelse。Onceitsjarisemptied，thelarvaisflungasideasworthlessoffal，acertainsignofanon-

carnivorousappetite。Undertheseconditions，thepersecutoroftheChrysomelaceasestosurpriseusbyindulginginthecryingabuseofadoublediet。

Weevenbegintowonderwhetherotherspeciesmaynotbeinclinedtoderiveadirectadvantagefromthehuntingimposeduponthemforthemaintenanceofthefamily。TheOdynerus"methodofwork，thesplittingopenoftheanalstill-room，istoofarremovedfromtheobviousproceduretohavemanyimitators；itisasecondarydetailandimpracticablewithadifferentkindofgame。Butthereissuretobeacertainvarietyinthedirectmeansofutilizingthecapture。Why，forinstance，whenthevictimparalysedbythestingcontainsadeliciousbrothinsomepartofitsstomach，shouldthehuntressscrupletoviolateherdyingpreyandforceittodisgorgewithoutinjuringthequalityoftheprovisions？Theremustbethosewhorobthedead，attractednotbythefleshbutbytheexquisitecontentsofthecrop。

Inpointoffact，thereare；andtheyareevennumerous。WemaymentioninthefirstranktheWaspthathuntsHive-bees，theBee-eatingPhilanthus(P。

apivorus，LATR。)。Ilongsuspectedherofperpetratingtheseactsofbrigandageonherownbehalf，havingoftensurprisedhergluttonouslylickingtheBee"shoney-smearedmouth；Ihadaninklingthatshedidnotalwayshuntsolelyforthebenefitofherlarvae。Thesuspiciondeservedtobeconfirmedbyexperiment。Also，Iwasengagedinanotherinvestigation，whichmighteasilybeconductedsimultaneouslywiththeonesuggested:I

wantedtostudy，withalltheleisureofworkdoneathome，theoperating-

methodsemployedbythedifferentHuntingWasps。Ithereforemadeuse，forthePhilanthus，oftheprocessofexperimentingunderglasswhichIroughlyoutlinedwhenspeakingoftheOdynerus。ItwaseventheBee-huntresswhogavememyfirstdatainthisdirection。SherespondedtomywisheswithsuchzealthatIbelievedmyselftopossessanunequalledmeansofobservingagainandagain，eventoexcess，whatissodifficulttoachieveontheactualspot。Alas，thefirst-fruitsofmyacquaintancewiththePhilanthuspromisedmemorethanthefutureheldinstoreforme！Butwewillnotanticipate；andwewillplacethehuntressandhergametogetherunderthebell-glass。IrecommendthisexperimenttowhoeverwouldwishtoseewithwhatperfectionintheartofattackanddefenceaHuntingWaspwieldsthestiletto。Thereisnouncertaintyhereastotheresult，thereisnolongwait:themomentwhenshecatchessightofthepreyinanattitudefavourabletoherdesigns，thebanditrushesforwardandkills。I

willdescribehowthingshappen。

Iplaceunderthebell-glassaPhilanthusandtwoorthreeHive-bees。Theprisonersclimbtheglasswall，towardsthelight；theygoup，comedownagainandtrytogetout；theverticalpolishedsurfaceistothemapracticablefloor。Theysoonquietdown；andthespoilerbeginstonoticehersurroundings。Theantennaearepointedforwards，enquiringly；thehind-

legsaredrawnupwithalittlequiverofgreedinthetarsi；theheadturnstorightandleftandfollowstheevolutionsoftheBeesagainsttheglass。Themiscreant"sposturenowbecomesastrikingpieceofacting:youcanreadinitthefiercelongingsofthecreaturelyinginambush，thecraftywaitingforthemomenttocommitthecrime。Thechoiceismade:thePhilanthuspouncesonherprey。

Turnbyturntumblingoverandtumbled，thetwoinsectsrollupontheground。Thetumultsoonabates；andthemurderesspreparestostranglehercapture。Iseeheradopttwomethods。Inthefirst，whichismoreusualthantheother，theBeeislyingonherback；andthePhilanthus，bellytobellywithher，gripsherwithhersixlegswhilesnappingatherneckwithhermandibles。Theabdomenisnowcurvedforwardfrombehind，alongtheprostratevictim，feelswithitstip，gropesaboutalittleandendsbyreachingtheunderpartoftheneck。Thestingenters，lingersforamomentinthewound；andallisover。Withoutreleasingherprey，whichisstilltightlyclasped，themurderessrestoresherabdomentoitsnormalpositionandkeepsitpressedagainsttheBee"s。

Inthesecondmethod，thePhilanthusoperatesstanding。Restingonherhind-legsandonthetipsofherunfurledwings，sheproudlyoccupiesanerectattitude，withtheBeeheldfacingherbetweenherfourfrontlegs。

Togivethepoorthingapositionsuitedtoreceivethedagger-stroke，sheturnsherroundandbackagainwiththeroughclumsinessofachildhandlingitsdoll。Herposeismagnificenttolookat。Solidlyplantedonhersustainingtripod，thetwohindertarsiandthetipsofthewings，sheatlastcrooksherabdomenupwardsandagainstingstheBeeunderthechin。

TheoriginalityofthePhilanthus"postureatthemomentofthemurdersurpassestheanythingthatIhavehithertoseen。

Thedesireforknowledgeinnaturalhistoryhasitscruelside。Tolearnpreciselythepointattackedbythestingandtomakemyselfthoroughlyacquaintedwiththehorribletalentofthemurderess，IhaveinvestigatedmoreassassinationsunderglassthanIwoulddaretoconfess。Withoutasingleexception，IhavealwaysseentheBeestunginthethroat。Inthepreparationsforthefinalblow，thetipoftheabdomenmaywellcometorestonthisorthatpointofthethoraxorabdomen；butitdoesnotstopatanyofthese，noristhestingunsheathed，ascanreadilybeascertained。Indeed，oncethecontestisopened，thePhilanthusbecomessoentirelyabsorbedinheroperationthatIcanremovethecoverandfolloweveryvicissitudeofthetragedywithmypocket-lens。

Afterrecognizingtheinvariablepositionofthewound，Ibendbackandopenthearticulationofthehead。IseeundertheBee"schinawhitespot，measuringhardlyatwenty-fifthofaninchsquare，wherethehornyintegumentsarelackingandthedelicateskinisshownuncovered。Itishere，alwayshere，inthistinydefectinthearmour，thatthestingenters。Whyisthisspotstabbedratherthananother？Canitbetheonlyvulnerablepoint，whichwouldnecessarilydeterminethethrustofthelancet？Shouldanyoneentertainsopettyathought，Iadvisehimtoopenthearticulationofthecorselet，behindthefirstpairoflegs。HewillthereseewhatIsee:thebareskin，quiteasfineasundertheneck，butcoveringamuchlargersurface。Thehornybreast-plateoffersnowiderbreach。IfthePhilanthuswereguidedinheroperationsolelybythequestionofvulnerability，itisherecertainlythatsheoughttostrike，insteadofpersistentlyseekingthenarrowslitintheneck。Theweaponwouldnotneedtohesitateandgrope；itwouldobtainadmissionintothetissuesoff-hand。No，thestrokeofthelancetisnotforceduponitmechanically:theassassinscornsthelargedefectinthecorseletandpreferstheplaceunderthechin，foreminentlylogicalreasonswhichwewillnowattempttounravel。

ImmediatelyaftertheoperationItaketheBeefromthePhilanthus。Whatstrikesmeisthesuddeninertiaoftheantennaeandthemouth-parts，organswhichinthevictimsofmostoftheHuntingWaspscontinuetomoveforsolongatime。ThereareherenotanyofthesignsoflifetowhichI

havebeenaccustomedinmyoldstudiesofinsectparalysis:theantennarythreadswavingslowlytoandfro，thepalpiquivering，themandiblesopeningandclosingfordays，weeksandmonthsonend。Atmost，thetarsitrembleforaminuteortwo；thatconstitutesthewholedeath-struggle。

Completeimmobilityensues。Theinferencedrawnfromthissuddeninertiaisinevitable:theWasphasstabbedthecervicalganglia。Hencetheimmediatecessationofmovementinalltheorgansofthehead；hencetherealinsteadoftheapparentdeathoftheBee。ThePhilanthusisabutcherandnotaparalyser。

Thisisonestepgained。Themurderesschoosestheunderpartofthechinasthepointattackedinordertostriketheprincipalnerve-centres，thecephalicganglia，andthustodoawaywithlifeatoneblow。Whenthisvitalseatispoisonedbythetoxin，deathisinstantaneous。HadthePhilanthus"objectbeensimplytoeffectparalysis，thesuppressionoflocomotormovements，shewouldhavedrivenherweaponintotheflawinthecorselet，astheCerceresdowiththeWeevils，whoaremuchmorepowerfullyarmouredthantheBee。Butherintentionistokilloutright，asweshallseepresently；shewantsacorpse，notaparalyticpatient。Thisbeingso，wemustagreethatheroperating-methodissupremelywell-inspired:ourhumanmurdererscouldachievenothingmorethoroughorimmediate。

Wemustalsoagreethatherattitudewhenattacking，anattitudeverydifferentfromthatoftheparalysers，isinfallibleinitsdeath-dealingefficacy。Whethershedeliverherthrustlyingonthegroundorstandingerect，sheholdstheBeeinfrontofher，breasttobreast，headtohead。

Inthispostureallthatsheneeddoistocurveherabdomeninordertoreachthegapintheneckandplungethestingwithanupwardslantintohercaptive"shead。Supposethetwoinsectstobegrippingeachotherinthereverseattitude，imaginethedirktoslantslightlyintheoppositedirection；theresultswouldbeabsolutelydifferentandthesting，drivendownwards，wouldpiercethefirstthoracicganglionandproducemerelypartialparalysis。Whatskill，tosacrificeawretchedBee！Inwhatfencing-schoolwastheslayertaughtherterribleupwardblowunderthechin？

Ifshelearntit，howisitthathervictim，suchapastmistressinarchitecture，suchanadeptinsocialisticpolity，hassofarlearntnocorrespondingtricktoserveinherowndefence？Sheisaspowerfulasherexecutioner；liketheother，shecarriesarapier，anevenmoreformidableoneandmorepainful，atleasttomyfingers。ForcenturiesandcenturiesthePhilanthushasbeenstoringherawayinhercellars；andthepoorinnocentmeeklysubmits，withoutbeingtaughtbytheannualexterminationofherracehowtodeliverherselffromtheaggressorbyawell-aimedthrust。Idespairofeverunderstandinghowtheassailanthasacquiredhertalentforinflictingsuddendeath，whentheassailed，whoisbetter-armedandquiteasstrong，wieldsherdaggeranyhowandthereforeineffectively。