第13章
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  Whetherinthefrontoratthebackofthespiralslope,theinsect\'sworkendsinafacadeofcoarsemosaic,formedofsmall,angularbitsofgravel,firmlycementedwithagumthenatureofwhichhastobeascertained。Itisanamber—colouredmaterial,semi—transparent,brittle,solubleinspiritsofwineandburningwithasootyflameandastrongsmellofresin。FromthesecharacteristicsitisevidentthattheBeeprepareshergumwiththeresinousdropsexudedbytheConiferae。

  IthinkthatIamevenabletonametheparticularplant,thoughI

  havenevercaughttheinsectintheactofgatheringitsmaterials。

  Hardbythestone—heapswhichIturnoverformycollectionsthereisaplentifulsupplyofbrown—berriedjunipers。Pinesaretotallyabsent;andthecypressonlyappearsoccasionallynearthehouses。

  Moreover,amongthevegetableremainswhichweshallseeassistingintheprotectionofthenest,weoftenfindthejuniper\'scatkinsandneedles。Astheresin—insectiseconomicalofitstimeanddoesnotflyfarfromthequartersfamiliartoit,thegummusthavebeencollectedontheshrubatwhosefootthematerialsforthebarricadehavebeengathered。Noristhismerelyalocalcircumstance,fortheMarseillesnestaboundsinsimilarremnants。Ithereforeregardthejuniperastheregularresin—purveyor,without,however,excludingthepine,thecypressandotherConiferaewhenthefavouriteshrubisabsent。

  ThebitsofgravelinthelidareangularandchalkyintheMarseillesnest;theyareroundandflintyinmostoftheSerignannests。Inmakinghermosaic,theworkerpaysnoheedtotheformorcolourofitscomponentparts;shecollectsindiscriminatelyanythingthatishardenoughandnottoolarge。Sometimesshelightsupontreasuresthatgiveherworkamoreoriginalcharacter。TheMarseillesnestshowsme,neatlyencrustedamidthebitsofgravel,atinywholelandshell,Pupacineres。AnestinmyownneighbourhoodprovidesmewithaprettySnail—shell,Helixstriata,formingarose—

  patterninthemiddleofthemosaic。TheselittleartisticdetailsremindmeofacertainnestofEumenesAmadei(AMason—wasp,formingthesubjectofanessaywhichhasnotyetbeenpublishedinEnglish。—

  —Translator\'sNote。)whichaboundsinsmallshells。Ornamentalshell—

  workappearstonumberitsloversamongtheinsects。

  Afterthelidofresinandgravel,anentirewhorlofthespiralisoccupiedbyabarricadeofincongruousremnants,similartothatwhich,inthereeds,protectstherowofcocoonsoftheManicateCotton—bee。Itiscurioustoseeexactlythesamedefensivemethodsemployedbytwobuildersofsuchdifferenttalents,oneofwhomhandlesflock,theothergum。ThenestfromMarseilleshasforitsbarricadebitsofchalkygravel,particlesofearth,fragmentsofsticks,afewscrapsofmossandespeciallyjuniper—catkinsandneedles。TheSerignannests,installedinHelixaspersa,havealmostthesameprotectivematerials。Iseebitsofgravel,thesizeofalentil,andthecatkinsandneedlesofthebrown—berriedjuniperpredominating。NextcomethedryexcretionsoftheSnailandafewrarelittleland—shells。Asimilarjumbleofmoreorlesseverythingfoundnearthenestforms,asweknow,thebarricadeoftheManicateCotton—bee,whoisalsoanadeptatusingtheSnail\'sstercoraldroppingsafterthesehavebeendriedinthesun。Letusobservefinallythatthesedissimilarmaterialsareheapedtogetherwithoutanycementing,justastheinsecthaspickedthemup。Resinplaysnopartinthemass;andwehaveonlytopiercethelidandturntheshellupsidedownforthebarricadetocomedribblingtotheground。

  TogluethewholethingtogetherdoesnotenterintotheResin—bee\'sscheme。Perhapssuchanexpenditureofgumisbeyondhermeans;

  perhapsthebarricade,ifhardenedintoasolidblock,wouldafterwardsformaninvincibleobstacletotheescapeoftheyoungsters;perhapsagainthemassofgravelisanaccessoryrampart,runuproughlyasaworkofsecondaryimportance。

  Amidthesedoubtfulmatters,Iseeatleastthattheinsectdoesnotlookuponitsbarricadeasindispensable。Itemploysitregularlyinthelargeshells,whoselastwhorl,toospacioustobeused,formsanunoccupiedvestibule;itneglectsitinthemoderateshells,suchasHelixnemoralis,inwhichtheresinlidislevelwiththeorifice。Myexcavationsinthestone—heapssupplymewithanalmostequalnumberofnestswithandwithoutdefensiveembankments。AmongtheCotton—

  bees,theManicateAnthidiumisnotfaithfuleithertoherfortoflittlesticksandstones;Iknowsomeofhernestsinwhichcottonserveseverypurpose。Withbothofthem,thegravelrampartseemsusefulonlyincertaincircumstances,whichIamunabletospecify。

  Ontheothersideoftheoutworksofthefortification,thelidandbarricade,arethecellssetmoreorlessfardowninthespiral,accordingtothediameteroftheshell。Theyareboundedbackandfrontbypartitionsofpureresin,withoutanyencrustationsofmineralparticles。Theirnumberisexceedinglyrestrictedandisusuallylimitedtotwo。Thefrontroom,whichislargerbecausethewidthofthepassagegoesonincreasing,istheabodeofamale,superiorinsizetotheothersex;thelessspaciousbackroomcontainsafemale。Ihavealreadydrawnattentioninanearlierchaptertothewonderfulproblemsubmittedforourconsiderationbythisbreakingupofthelayingintocouplesandthisalternationofthemalesandfemales。Withoutcallingforotherworkthanthetransversepartitions,thebroadeningstairwayoftheSnail—shellthusfurnishesbothsexeswithhouse—roomsuitedtotheirsize。

  ThesecondResin—beethatinhabitsshells,Anthidiumbellicosum,hatchesinJulyandworksduringthefierceheatofAugust。Herarchitecturediffersinnowisefromthatofherkinswomanofthespringtime,somuchsothat,whenwefindatenantedSnail—shellinaholeinthewallorunderthestones,itisimpossibletodecidetowhichofthetwospeciesthenestbelongs。TheonlywaytoobtainexactinformationistobreaktheshellandsplitthecocoonsinFebruary,atwhichtimethenestsofthesummerResin—beeareoccupiedbylarvaeandthoseofthespringResin—beebytheperfectinsect。Ifweshrinkfromthisbrutalmethod,wearestillindoubtuntilthecocoonsopen,sogreatistheresemblancebetweenthetwopiecesofwork。

  Inbothcases,wefindthesamelodging,Snail—shellsofeverysizeandeverykind,justastheyhappentocome;thesameresinlid,theinsidegrittywithtinybitsofstone,theoutsidealmostsmoothandsometimesornamentedwithlittleshells;thesamebarricade——notalwayspresent——ofvariouskindsofrubbish;thesamedivisionintotworoomsofunequalsizeoccupiedbythetwosexes。Everythingisidentical,downtothepurveyorofthegum,thebrown—berriedjuniper。TosaymoreaboutthenestofthesummerResin—beewouldbetorepeatoneself。

  Thereisonlyonethingthatrequiresfurtherinvestigation。Idonotseethereasonthatpromptsthetwoinsectstoleavethegreaterpartoftheirshellemptyinfront,insteadofoccupyingitentirelyuptotheorificeastheOsmiahabituallydoes。Asthemother\'slayingisbrokenupintointermittentshiftsofacoupleofeggsapiece,isitnecessarythatthereshouldbeanewhomeforeachshift?Isthehalf—fluidresinunsuitableforthewide—spannedroofswhichwouldhavetobeconstructedwhenthediameterofthehelicalpassageexceededcertainlimits?IsthegatheringofthecementtoowearisomeatasktoleavetheBeeanystrengthformakingthenumerouspartitionswhichshewouldneedifsheutilizedthespaciousfinalwhorl?Ifindnoanswertothesequestions。Inotethefactwithoutinterpretingit:whentheshellisalargeone,thefrontpart,almostthewholeofthelastwhorl,remainsanemptyvestibule。

  TothespringResin—bee,Anthidiumseptemdentatum,thislessthanhalfoccupiedlodgingpresentsnodrawbacks。AcontemporaryoftheOsmia,oftenherneighbourunderthesamestone,thegum—workerbuildshernestatthesameperiodasthemud—worker;butthereisnofearofmutualencroachments,forthetwoBees,workingnextdoortoeachother,watchtheirrespectivepropertieswithajealouseye。Ifattemptsatusurpationweretobemade,theowneroftheSnail—shellwouldknowhowtoenforceherrightsasthefirstoccupant。

  ForthesummerResin—bee,A。bellicosum,theconditionsareverydifferent。AtthemomentwhentheOsmiaisbuilding,sheisstillinthelarval,oratmostinthenymphalstage。Herabode,whichwouldnotbemoreabsolutelysilentifdeserted,hershell,withitsvastuntenantedporch,willnottempttheearlierResin—bee,whoherselfwantsapartmentsrightatthefarendofthespiral,butitmightsuittheOsmia,whoknowshowtofilltheshellwithcellsuptothemouth。ThelastwhorlleftvacantbytheAnthidiumisamagnificentlodgingwhichnothingpreventsthemasonfromoccupying。TheOsmiadoesseizeuponit,infact,anddoessotoooftenforthewelfareoftheunfortunatelate—comer。Thefinalresinlidtakestheplace,fortheOsmia,ofthemudstopperwithwhichshecutsoffatthebacktheportionofthespiraltoonarrowforherlabours。Uponthislidshebuildshermassofcellsinsomanystoreys,afterwhichshecoversthewholewithathickdefensiveplug。Inshort,theworkisconductedasthoughtheSnail—shellcontainednothing。

  WhenJulyarrives,thisdoubly—tenantedhousebecomesthesceneofatragicconflict。Thosebelow,onattainingtheadultstate,bursttheirswaddling—bands,demolishtheirresinpartitions,passthroughthegravelbarricadeandtrytoreleasethemselves;thoseabove,larvaestillorbuddingpupae,prisonersintheirshellsuntilthefollowingspring,completelyblocktheway。Toforceapassagefromthefar—endofthosecatacombsisbeyondthestrengthoftheResin—

  bee,alreadyweakenedbytheeffortofbreakingoutofherownnest。

  AfewoftheOsmia\'spartitionsaredamaged,afewcocoonsreceiveslightinjuries;andthen,wornoutwithvainstruggles,thecaptivesabandonhopeandperishbehindtheimpregnablewallofearth。Andwiththemperishalsocertainparasites,evenlessfitfortheprodigiousworkofclearance:ZonitesandChryses(Chrysisflammea),ofwhomthefirstareconsumersofprovisionsandthesecondofgrubs。

  ThislamentableendingoftheResin—bee,buriedaliveundertheOsmia\'swalls,isnotarareaccidenttobepassedoverinsilenceormentionedinafewwords;onthecontrary,ithappensveryoften;anditsfrequencysuggeststhisthought:theschoolwhichseesininstinctanacquiredhabittreatstheslightestfavourableoccurrenceinthecourseofanimalindustryasthestarting—pointofanimprovementwhich,transmittedbyheredityandbecomingintimemoreandmoreaccentuated,atlastgrowsintoasettledcharacteristiccommontothewholerace。Thereis,itistrue,atotalabsenceofpositiveproofsinsupportofthistheory;butitisstatedwithawealthofhypothesisthatleavesathousandloopholes:\'Grantingthat……Supposingthat……Itmaybe……nothingneedpreventusfrombelieving……Itisquitepossible……\'Thusarguedthemaster;andthediscipleshavenotyethituponanythingbetter。

  \'Iftheskyweretofall,\'saidRabelais,\'thelarkswouldallbecaught。\'

  Yes,buttheskystaysup;andthelarksgoonflying。

  \'Ifthingshappenedinsuchandsuchaway,\'saysourfriend,\'instinctmayhaveundergonevariationsandmodifications。\'

  Yes,butareyouquitesurethatthingshappenedasyousay?

  Ibanishtheword\'if\'frommyvocabulary。Isupposenothing,Itakenothingforgranted;Ipluckthebrutalfact,theonlythingthatcanbetrusted;Irecorditandthenaskmyselfwhatconclusionrestsuponitssolidframework。FromthefactwhichIhaverelatedwemaydrawthefollowinginference:

  \'Yousaythatanymodificationprofitabletotheanimalistransmittedthroughoutaseriesoffavouredoneswho,betterequippedwithtools,betterendowedwithaptitudes,abandontheancientusagesandreplacetheprimitivespecies,thevictimofthestruggleforlife。Youdeclarethatonce,inthedimdistanceoftheages,aBeefoundherselfbyaccidentinpossessionofadeadSnail—shell。Thesafeandpeacefullodgingpleasedherfancy。Onandonwentthehereditaryliking;andtheSnail—shellprovedmoreandmoreagreeabletotheinsect\'sdescendants,whobegantolookforitunderthestones,sothatlatergenerations,withtheaidofhabit,endedbyadoptingitastheancestraldwelling。Againbyaccident,theBeehappeneduponadropofresin。Itwassoft,plastic,well—suitedforthepartitioningoftheSnail—shell;itsoonhardenedintoasolidceiling。TheBeetriedtheresinousgumandbenefitedbyit。Hersuccessorsalsobenefitedbyit,especiallyafterimprovingit。

  Littlebylittle,therubble—workofthelidandofthegravelbarricadewasinvented:anenormousimprovement,ofwhichtheracedidnotfailtotakeadvantage。Thedefensivefortificationwasthefinishing—touchtotheoriginalstructure。HerewehavetheoriginanddevelopmentoftheinstinctoftheResin—beeswhomaketheirhomeinSnail—shells。\'

  Thisgloriousgenesisofinsectwaysandmeanslacksjustonelittlething:probability。Lifeeverywhere,evenamongthehumble,hastwophases:itsshareofgoodanditsshareofevil。Avoidingthelatterandseekingtheformeristheroughbalance—sheetoflife\'sactions。

  Animals,likeourselves,havetheirportionofthesweetandthebitter:theyarejustasanxioustoreducethesecondastoincreasethefirst;for,withthemaswithus,Demalheurseviteslebonheursecompose。

  (Badluckmissedisgoodluckgained。)

  IftheBeehassofaithfullyhandeddownhercasualinventionofaresinnestbuiltinsideaSnail—shell,thenthereisnodenyingthatshemusthavejustasfaithfullyhandeddownthemeansofavertingtheterribledangerofbelatedhatchings。Afewmothers,escapingatrareintervalsfromthecatacombsblockedbytheOsmiae,musthaveretainedalivelymemory,apowerfulimpressionoftheirdesperatestrugglethroughthemassofearth;theymusthaveinspiredtheirdescendantswithadreadofthosevastdwellingswherethestrangercomesafterwardsandbuilds;theymusthavetaughtthembyhabitthemeansofsafety,theuseofthemedium—sizedshell,whichthenestfillstothemouth。Sofarastheprosperityoftheracewasconcerned,thediscontinuanceofthesystemofemptyvestibuleswasfarmoreimportantthantheinventionofthebarricade,whichisnotaltogetherindispensable:itwouldhavesavedthemfromperishingmiserably,behindimpenetrablewalls,andwouldhaveconsiderablyincreasedthenumbersoftheirposterity。

  ThousandsandthousandsofexperimentshavebeenmadethroughouttheageswithSnail—shellsofaveragedimensions:thethingiscertain,becauseIfindmanyofthemto—day。Well,havetheselife—savingexperiments,withtheirimmenseimportancetotherace,becomegeneralbyhereditarybequest?Notatall:theResin—beepersistsinusingbigSnail—shellsjustasthoughherancestorshadneverknownthedangeroftheOsmia—blockedvestibule。Oncethesefactsaredulyrecognized,theconclusionisirresistible:itisobviousthat,astheinsectdoesnothanddownthecasualmodificationtendingtowardstheavoidanceofwhatistoitsdisadvantage,neitherdoesithanddownthemodificationleadingtotheadoptionofwhatistoitsadvantage。Howeverlivelytheimpressionmadeuponthemother,theaccidentalleavesnotraceintheoffspring。Chanceplaysnopartinthegenesisoftheinstincts。

  NexttothesetenantsoftheSnail—shellswehavetwootherResin—

  beeswhonevercometotheshellsforacabinfortheirnests。TheyareAnthidiumquadrilobum,LEP。,andA。Latreillii,LEP。,bothexceedinglyuncommoninmydistrict。Ifwemeetthemveryrarely,however,thismaywellbeduetothedifficultyofseeingthem;fortheyleadextremelysolitaryandwarylives。Awarmnookundersomestoneorother;thedesertedstreetsofanAnt—hillinasun—bakedbank;aBeetle\'svacantburrowafewinchesbelowtheground;inshort,acavityofsomesort,perhapsarrangedbytheBee\'sowncare:

  thesearetheonlyestablishmentswhichIknowthemtooccupy。Andhere,withnoothershelterthanthecoveroftherefuge,theybuildamassofcellsjoinedtogetherandgroupedintoasphere,which,inthecaseoftheFour—lobedResin—bee,attainsthesizeofaman\'sfistand,inthatofLatreille\'sResin—bee,thesizeofasmallapple。

  Atfirstsight,weremainveryuncertainastothenatureofthestrangeball。Itisbrown,ratherhard,slightlysticky,withabituminoussmell。Outsideareencrustedafewbitsofgravel,particlesofearth,headsoflarge—sizedAnts。Thiscannibaltrophyisnotasignofbarbarouscustoms:theBeedoesnotdecapitateAntstoadornherhut。Aninlayer,likehercolleaguesoftheSnail—shell,shegathersanyhardgranulenearathandcapableofstrengtheningherwork;andthedriedskullsofAnts,whicharefrequentaroundaboutherabode,areinhereyesbuilding—stonesofequalvaluetothepebbles。Oneandallemploywhatevertheycanfindwithoutmuchseeking。Theinhabitantoftheshell,inordertoconstructherbarricade,makesshiftwiththedryexcrementofthenearestSnail;

  thedenizenoftheflatstonesandoftheroadsidebanksfrequentedbytheAntsdoeswhatshecanwiththeheadsofthedefunctand,shouldthesebelacking,isreadytoreplacethemwithsomethingelse。Moreover,thedefensiveinlayingisslight;weseethattheinsectattachesnogreatimportancetoitandhaseveryconfidenceinthestoutwallofthehome。

  Thematerialofwhichtheworkismadeatfirstsuggestssomerusticwax,muchcoarserthanthatoftheBumble—bees,orrathersometarofunknownorigin。Wethinkagainandthenrecognizeinthepuzzlingsubstancethesemitransparentfracture,thequalityofbecomingsoftwhenexposedtoheatandofburningwithasmokyflame,thesolubilityinspiritsofwine——inshort,allthedistinguishingcharacteristicsofresin。HerethenaretwomorecollectorsoftheexudationsoftheConiferae。AtthepointswhereIfindtheirnestsareAleppopines,cypresses,brown—berriedjunipersandcommonjunipers。Whichofthefoursuppliesthemastic?Thereisnothingtotellus。Noristhereanythingtoexplainhowthenativeamber—colouroftheresinisreplacedintheworkofbothBeesbyadark—brownhueresemblingthatofpitch。Doestheinsectcollectresinimpairedbytheweather,soiledbythesaniesofrottenwood?Whenkneadingit,doesitmixsomedarkingredientwithit?Ilookuponthisaspossible,butnotasproved,sinceIhaveneverseentheBeecollectingherresin。

  Whilethispointescapesme,anotherofhigherinterestappearsmostplainly;andthatisthelargeamountofresinousmaterialusedinasinglenest,especiallyinthatofAnthidiumquadrilobum,inwhichI

  havecountedasmanyastwelvecells。ThenestoftheMason—beeofthePebblesishardlymoremassive。Forsocostlyanestablishment,therefore,theResin—beecollectsherpitchonthedeadpineascopiouslyastheMason—beecollectshermortaronthemacadamizedroad。HerworkshopnolongershowsustheniggardlypartitioningofaSnail—shellwithtwoorthreedropsofresin;whatweseeisthewholebuildingofthehouse,fromthebasementtotheroof,fromthethickouterwallstothepartitionsoftherooms。ThecementexpendedwouldbeenoughtodividehundredsofSnail—shells,whereforethetitleofResin—beeisduefirstandforemosttothismaster—builderinpitch。HonourablementionshouldbeawardedtoA。Latreillii,whorivalsherfellow—workerasfarashersmallerstaturepermits。Theothermanipulatorsofresin,thosewhobuildpartitionsinSnail—

  shells,comethird,averylongwaybehind。

  Andnow,withthefactstosupportus,letusphilosophizealittle。

  Wehavehere,recognizedasofexcellentstandardbyalltheexpertclassifiers,sofastidiousinthearrangementoftheirlists,agenericgroup,calledAnthidium,containingtwoguildsofworkersentirelydissimilarincharacter:thecotton—fullersandtheresin—

  kneaders。Itisevenpossiblethatotherspecies,whentheirhabitsarebetterknown,willcomeandincreasethisvarietyofmanufactures。IconfinemyselftothelittlethatIknowandaskmyselfinwhatthemanipulatorofcottondiffersfromthemanipulatorofresinasregardstools,thatistosay,organs。Certainly,whenthegenusAnthidiumwassetdownbytheclassifiers,theywerenotwantinginscientificprecision:theyconsulted,underthelensofthemicroscope,thewings,themandibles,thelegs,theharvesting—

  brush,inshort,allthedetailscalculatedtoassisttheproperdelimitationofthegroup。Afterthisminuteexaminationbytheexperts,ifnoorganicdifferencesstandrevealed,thereasonisthattheydonotexist。Anydissimilarityofstructurecouldnotescapetheaccurateeyesofourlearnedtaxonomists。Thegenus,therefore,isindeedorganicallyhomogeneous;butindustriallyitisthoroughlyheterogeneous。Theimplementsarethesameandtheworkisdifferent。

  ThateminentBordeauxentomologist,ProfessorJeanPerez,towhomI

  communicatedthemisgivingsarousedinmymindbythecontradictorynatureofmydiscoveries,thinksthathehasfoundthesolutionofthedifficultyintheconformationofthemandibles。Iextractthefollowingpassagefromhisvolume,\"LesAbeilles\":

  \'Thecotton—pressingfemaleshavetheedgeoftheirmandiblescutoutintofiveorsixlittleteeth,whichmakeaninstrumentadmirablysuitedforscrapingandremovingthehairsfromtheepidermisoftheplants。Itisasortofcomborteasel。Theresin—kneadingfemaleshavetheedgeofthemandiblenottoothed,butsimplycurved;thetipalone,precededbyanotchwhichisprettyclearlymarkedinsomespecies,formsarealtooth;butthistoothisbluntanddoesnotproject。Themandible,inshort,isakindofspoonperfectlyfittedtoremovethestickymatterandtoshapeitintoaball。\'

  Nothingbettercouldbesaidtoexplainthetwosortsofindustry:intheonecase,arakewhichgathersthewool;intheother,aspoonwhichscoopsuptheresin。Ishouldhaveleftitatthatandfeltquitecontentwithoutfurtherinvestigation,ifIhadnothadthecuriositytoopenmyboxesand,inmyturn,totakeagoodlook,sidebyside,attheworkersincementandtheworkersincotton。Allowme,mylearnedmaster,towhisperinyourearwhatIsaw。

  ThefirstthatIexamineisAnthidiumseptemdentatum。Aspoon:yes,itisjustthat。Powerfulmandibles,shapedlikeanisoscelestriangle,flatabove,hollowedoutbelow;andnoindentations,nonewhatsoever。Asplendidtool,asyousay,forgatheringtheviscouspellet;quiteasefficaciousinitskindofworkasistherakeofthetoothedmandiblesforgatheringcotton。Herecertainlyisacreaturepotently—gifted,eventhoughitbeforapoorlittletask,thescoopingupoftwoorthreedropsofglue。

  ThingsarenotquitesosatisfactorywiththesecondResin—beeoftheSnail—shells,A。bellicosum。Ifindthatshehasthreeteethtohermandibles。Still,theyareslightandprojectverylittle。Letussaythatthisdoesnotcount,eventhoughtheworkisexactlythesame。

  WithA。quadrilobumthewholethingbreaksdown。She,thequeenofResin—bees;she,whocollectsalumpofmasticthesizeofone\'sfist,enoughtosubdividehundredsofherkinswomen\'sSnail—shells:

  well,she,bywayofaspoon,carriesarake!Onthewideedgesofhermandiblesstandfourteeth,aslongandpointedasthoseofthemostzealouscotton—gleaner。A。florentinum,thatmightymanufacturerofcotton—goods,canhardlyrivalherinrespectofcombing—tools。

  Andnevertheless,withhertoothedimplement,asortofsaw,theResin—beecollectshergreatheapofpitch,loadbyload;andthematerialiscarriednotrigid,butsticky,half—fluid,sothatitmayamalgamatewiththepreviouslotsandbefashionedintocells。

  A。Latreillii,withouthavingaverylargeimplement,alsobearswitnesstothepossibilityofheapingupsoftresinwitharake;shearmshermandibleswiththreeorfoursharply—cutteeth。Inshort,outoffourResin—bees,theonlyfourthatIknow,oneisarmedwithaspoon,ifthisexpressionbereallysuitedtothetool\'sfunction;

  thethreeothersarearmedwitharake;anditsohappensthatthemostcopiousheapofresinisjusttheworkoftherakewiththemostteethtoit,atoolsuitedtothecotton—reapers,accordingtotheviewsoftheBordeauxentomologicalexpert。

  No,theexplanationthatappealedtomesomuchatfirstisnotadmissible。Themandible,whethersuppliedwithteethornot,doesnotaccountatallforthetwomanufactures。Maywe,inthispredicament,haverecoursetothegeneralstructureoftheinsect,althoughthisisnotdistinctiveenoughtobeofmuchusetous?Notsoeither;for,inthesamestone—heapswheretheOsmiaandthetwoResin—beesoftheSnail—shellswork,IfindfromtimetotimeanothermanipulatorofmasticwhobearsnostructuralrelationshipwhatevertothegenusAnthidium。Itisasmall—sizedMason—wasp,Odynerusalpestris,SAUSS。ShebuildsaveryprettynestwithresinandgravelintheshellsoftheyoungCommonSnail,ofHelixnemoralisandsometimesofBulimulusradiatus。Iwilldescribehermasterpieceonsomeotheroccasion。TooneacquaintedwiththegenusOdynerus,anycomparisonwiththeAnthidiawouldbeaninexcusableerror。Inlarvaldiet,inshape,inhabits,theyformtwodissimilargroups,veryfarremovedonefromtheother。TheAnthidiafeedtheiroffspringonhoney—bread;theOdynerifeeditonliveprey。Well,withherslenderform,herweaklyframe,inwhichthemostclear—seeingeyewouldseekinvainforacluetothetradepractised,theAlpineOdynerus,thegame—lover,usespitchinthesamewayasthestoutandmassiveResin—bee,thehoney—lover。Sheevenusesitbetter,forhermosaicoftinypebblesismuchprettierthantheBee\'sandnolesssolid。

  Withhermandibles,thistimeneitherspoonnorrake,butratheralongforcepsslightlynotchedatthetip,shegathersherdropofstickymatterasdexterouslyasdoherrivalswiththeirverydifferentoutfit。Hercasewill,Ithink,persuadeusthatneithertheshapeofthetoolnortheshapeoftheworkercanexplaintheworkdone。

  Iwillgofurther:Iaskmyselfinvainthereasonofthisorthattradeinthecaseofafixedspecies。TheOsmiaemaketheirpartitionswithmudorwithapasteofchewedleaves;theMason—beesbuildwithcement;thePelopaeus—waspsfashionclaypots;theMegachilesmadediskscutfromleavesintourns;theAnthidiafeltcottonintopurses;theResin—beescementtogetherlittlebitsofgravelwithgum;theCarpenter—beesandtheLithurgiboreholesintimber;theAnthophoraetunneltheroadsideslopes。Whyallthesedifferenttrades,tosaynothingoftheothers?Howaretheyprescribedfortheinsect,thisoneratherthanthat?

  Iforeseetheanswer:theyareprescribedbytheorganization。Aninsectexcellentlyequippedforgatheringandfeltingcottonisill—

  equippedforcuttingleaves,kneadingmudormixingresin。Thetoolinitspossessiondecidesitstrade。

  Thisisaverysimpleexplanation,Iadmit,andonewithinthescopeofeverybody:initselfasufficientrecommendationforanyonewhohasneithertheinclinationnorthetimetoundertakeamorethoroughinvestigation。Thepopularityofcertainspeculativeviewsisdueentirelytotheeasyfoodwhichtheyprovideforourcuriosity。Theysaveusmuchlongandoftenirksomestudy;theyimpartaveneerofgeneralknowledge。Thereisnothingthatachievessuchimmediatesuccessasanexplanationoftheriddleoftheuniverseinawordortwo。Thethinkerdoesnottravelsofast:contenttoknowlittlesothathemayknowsomething,helimitshisfieldofsearchandissatisfiedwithascantyharvest,providedthatthegrainbeofgoodquality。Beforeagreeingthatthetooldeterminesthetrade,hewantstoseethingswithhisowneyes;andwhatheobservesisfarfromconfirmingthesweepingstatement。Letussharehisdoubtsforamomentandlookintomattersmoreclosely。

  Franklinleftusamaximwhichismuchtothepointhere。Hesaidthatagoodworkmanshouldbeabletoplanewithasawandtosawwithaplane。TheinsectistoogoodaworkmannottofollowtheadviceofthesageofBoston。Itsindustryaboundsininstanceswheretheplanetakestheplaceofthesaw,orthesawoftheplane;itsdexteritymakesgoodtheinadequacyoftheimplement。Togonofurther,havewenotjustseendifferentartisanscollectingandusingpitch,somewithspoons,otherswithrakes,othersagainwithpincers?Therefore,withsuchequipmentasitpossesses,theinsectwouldbecapableofabandoningcottonforleaves,leavesforresin,resinformortar,ifsomepredispositionoftalentdidnotmakeitkeeptoitsspeciality。

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