Itistimethatwethoughtofexperimenting。TheMason-beesintendedforthejourneymustbemarkedwithasignwherebyImayknowthem。A
solutionofgumarabic,thickenedwithacolouring-powder,red,blueorsomeothershade,isthematerialwhichIusetomarkmytravellers。Thevarietyinhuewillsavemefromconfusingthesubjectsofmydifferentexperiments。
Whenmakingmyformerinvestigations,IusedtomarktheBeesattheplacewhereIsetthemfree。Forthisoperation,theinsectshadtobeheldinthefingersoneaftertheother;andIwasthusexposedtofrequentstings,whichsmartedallthemoreforbeingconstantlyrepeated。TheconsequencewasthatIwasnotalwaysquiteabletocontrolmyfingersandthumbs,tothegreatdetrimentofmytravellers;forIcouldeasilywarptheirwing-jointsandthusweakentheirflight。Itwasworthwhileimprovingthemethodofoperation,bothinmyowninterestandinthatoftheinsect。ImustmarktheBee,carryhertoadistanceandreleaseher,withouttakingherinmyfingers,withoutoncetouchingher。Theexperimentwasboundtogainbytheseniceprecautions。IwilldescribethemethodwhichIadopted。
TheBeeissomuchengrossedinherworkwhensheburiesherabdomeninthecellandridsherselfofherloadofpollen,orwhensheisbuilding,thatitiseasy,atsuchtimes,withoutalarmingher,tomarktheuppersideofthethoraxwithastrawdippedinthecolouredglue。Theinsectisnotdisturbedbythatslighttouch。Itfliesoff;
itreturnsladenwithmortarorpollen。Youallowthesetripstoberepeateduntilthemarkonthethoraxisquitedry,whichsoonhappensinthehotsunnecessarytotheBee’slabours。Thenextthingistocatchherandimprisonherinapaperbag,stillwithouttouchingher。
Nothingcouldbeeasier。Youplaceasmalltest-tubeovertheBeeengrossedinherwork;theinsect,onleaving,rushesintoitandisthencetransferredtothepaperbag,whichisforthwithclosedandplacedinthetinboxthatwillserveasaconveyanceforthewholeparty。WhenreleasingtheBees,allyouhavetodoisopenthebags。
Thewholeperformanceisthuseffectedwithoutoncegivingthatdistressingsqueezeofthefingers。
Anotherquestionremainstobesolvedbeforewegofurther。Whattime-
limitshallIallowforthiscensusoftheBeesthatreturntothenest?LetmeexplainwhatImean。ThedotwhichIhavemadeinthemiddleofthethoraxwithatouchofmystickystrawisnotverypermanent:itmerelyadherestothehairs。Atthesametime,itwouldhavebeennomorelastingifIhadheldtheinsectinmyfingers。NowtheBeeoftenbrushesherback:shedustsiteachtimesheleavesthegalleries;besides,sheisalwaysrubbinghercoatagainstthewallsofthecell,whichshehastoenterandtoleaveeachtimethatshebringshoney。AMason-bee,sosmartlydressedatthestart,attheendofherworkisinrags;herfurisallwornbareandastatteredasamechanic’soverall。
Furthermore,inbadweather,theMason-beeoftheWallsspendsthedaysandnightsinoneofthecellsofherdome,suspendedheaddownwards。TheMason-beeoftheSheds,aslongastherearevacantgalleries,doesverynearlythesame:shetakesshelterinthegalleries,butwithherheadattheentrance。Oncethoseoldhabitationsareinuse,however,andthebuildingofnewcellsbegun,sheselectsanotherretreat。Intheharmas(Thepieceofenclosedwastegroundonwhichtheauthorstudieshisinsectsintheirnaturalstate。Cf。\"TheLifeoftheFly\":chapter1。——Translator’sNote。),asIhavesaidelsewhere,arestoneheaps,intendedforbuildingthesurroundingwall。ThisiswheremyChalicodomaepassthenight。Pileduppromiscuously,bothsexestogether,theysleepinnumerouscompanies,increvicesbetweentwostoneslaidcloselyoneontopoftheother。Someofthesecompaniesnumberasmanyasacoupleofhundred。Themostcommondormitoryisanarrowgroove。Heretheyallhuddle,asfarforwardaspossible,withtheirbacksinthegroove。I
seesomelyingflatontheirbacks,likepeopleasleep。Shouldbadweathercomeon,shouldtheskycloudover,shouldthenorth-windwhistle,theydonotstirout。
Withallthesethingstotakeintoconsideration,IcannotexpectmydotontheBee’sthoraxtolastanylengthoftime。Byday,theconstantbrushingandtherubbingagainstthepartitionsofthegalleriessoonwipeitoff;atnight,thingsareworsestill,inthenarrowsleeping-roomwheretheMason-beestakerefugebythehundred。
Afteranightspentinthecrevicebetweentwostones,itisnotadvisabletotrusttothemarkmadeyesterday。Therefore,thecountingofthenumberofBeesthatreturntothenestmustbetakeninhandatonce;tomorrowwouldbetoolate。Andso,asitwouldbeimpossibleformetorecognizethoseofmysubjectswhosedotshaddisappearedduringthenight,IwilltakeintoaccountonlytheBeesthatreturnonthesameday。
Thequestionoftherotarymachineremains。Darwinadvisedmetouseacircularboxwithanaxleandahandle。Ihavenothingofthekindinthehouse。ItwillbesimplerandquiteaseffectivetoemploythemethodofthecountrymanwhotriestolosehisCatbyswinginghiminabag。Myinsects,eachoneplacedbyitselfinapapercornet(A
cornetissimplytheold’sugar-bag,’thefunnel-shapedpaperbagsocommononthecontinentandstillusedoccasionallybysmallgrocersandtobacconistsinEngland。——Translator’sNote。)orscrew,shallbeplacedinatinbox;thescrewsofpapershallbewedgedinsoastoavoidcollisionsduringtherotation;lastly,theboxshallbetiedtoacordandIwillwhirlthewholethingroundlikeasling。Withthiscontrivance,itwillbequiteeasytoobtainanyrateofspeedthatI
wish,anyvarietyofinversemovementsthatIconsiderlikelytomakemycaptiveslosetheirbearings。Icanwhirlmyslingfirstinonedirectionandtheninanother,turnandturnabout;Icanslackenorincreasethepace;ifIlike,Icanmakeitdescribefiguresofeight,combinedwithcircles;ifIspinonmyheelsatthesametime,Iamabletomaketheprocessstillmorecomplicatedbycompellingmyslingtotraceeveryknowncurve。ThatiswhatIshalldo。
Onthe2ndofMay1880,ImakeawhitemarkonthethoraxoftenMason-beesbusiedwithvarioustasks:someareexploringtheslabsofclayinordertoselectasite;othersarebrick-laying;othersaregarneringstores。Whenthemarkisdry,IcatchthemandpackthemasIhavedescribed。IfirstcarrythemaquarterofamileintheoppositedirectiontotheonewhichIintendtotake。Apathskirtingmyhousefavoursthispreliminarymanoeuvre;Ihaveeveryhopeofbeingalonewhenthetimecomestomakeplaywithmysling。Thereisaway-sidecrossattheend;Istopatthefootofthecross。HereI
swingmyBeesineverydirection。Now,whileIammakingtheboxdescribeinversecirclesandloops,whileIampirouettingonmyheelstoachievethevariouscurves,upcomesawomanfromthevillageandstaresatme。Oh,howshestaresatme,whatalookshegivesme!Atthefootofthecross!Actinginsuchasillyway!Peopletalkedaboutit。Itwassheerwitchcraft。HadInotdugupadeadbody,onlyafewdaysbefore?Yes,Ihadbeentoaprehistoricburial-place,Ihadtakenfromitapairofvenerable,well-developedtibias,asetoffuneraryvesselsandafewshouldersofhorse,placedthereasaviaticumforthegreatjourney。Ihaddonethisthing;andpeopleknewit。Andnow,tocrownall,themanofevilreputationisfoundatthefootofacrossindulginginunhallowedantics。
Nomatter——anditshowsnosmallcourageonmypart——thegyrationsaredulyaccomplishedinthepresenceofthisunexpectedwitness。ThenI
retracemystepsandwalkwestwardofSerignan。Itaketheleast-
frequentedpaths,Icutacrosscountrysoas,ifpossible,toavoidasecondmeeting。ItwouldbethelaststrawifIwereseenopeningmypaperbagsandlettingloosemyinsects!Whenhalf-way,tomakemyexperimentmoredecisivestill,Irepeattherotation,inascomplicatedafashionasbefore。Irepeatitforthethirdtimeatthespotchosenfortherelease。
Iamattheendofaflint-strewnplain,withhereandthereascantycurtainofalmond-treesandholm-oaks。Walkingatagoodpace,Ihavetakenthirtyminutestocoverthegroundinastraightline。Thedistancethereforeis,roughly,twomiles。Itisafineday,underaclearsky,withaverylightbreezeblowingfromthenorth。Isitdownontheground,facingthesouth,sothattheinsectsmaybefreetotakeeitherthedirectionoftheirnestortheoppositeone。Iletthemlooseataquarterpasttwo。Whenthebagsareopened,theBees,forthemostpart,circleseveraltimesaroundmeandthendartoffimpetuouslyinthedirectionofSerignan,asfarasIcanjudge。Itisnoteasytowatchthem,becausetheyflyoffsuddenly,aftergoingtwoorthreetimesroundmybody,asuspicious-lookingobjectwhichtheywish,apparently,toreconnoitrebeforestarting。Aquarterofanhourlater,myeldestdaughter,Antonia,whoisonthelook-outbesidethenests,seesthefirsttravellerarrive。Onmyreturn,inthecourseoftheevening,twootherscomeback。Total:threehomeonthesameday,outoftenscatteredabroad。
Iresumetheexperimentnextmorning。ImarktenMason-beeswithred,whichwillenablemetodistinguishthemfromthosewhoreturnedonthedaybeforeandfromthosewhomaystillreturnwiththewhitespotuneffaced。Thesameprecautions,thesamerotations,thesamelocalitiesasonthefirstoccasion;only,Imakenorotationontheway,confiningmyselftoswingingmyboxroundonleavingandonarriving。Theinsectsarereleasedataquarterpasteleven。I
preferredtheforenoon,asthiswasthebusiesttimeattheworks。OneBeewasseenbyAntoniatobebackatthenestbytwentyminutespasteleven。Supposinghertobethefirstletloose,ittookherjustfiveminutestocoverthedistance。Butthereisnothingtotellmethatitisnotanother,inwhichcasesheneededless。ItisthefastestspeedthatIhavesucceededinnoting。Imyselfambackattwelveand,withinashorttime,catchthreeothers。Iseenomoreduringtherestoftheevening。Total:fourhome,outoften。
The4thofMayisaverybright,calm,warmday,weatherhighlypropitiousformyexperiments。ItakefiftyChalicodomaemarkedwithblue。Thedistancetobetravelledremainsthesame。ImakethefirstrotationaftercarryingmyinsectsafewhundredstepsinthedirectionoppositetothatwhichIfinallytake;inaddition,threerotationsontheroad;afifthrotationattheplacewheretheyaresetfree。Iftheydonotlosetheirbearingsthistime,itwillnotbeforlackoftwistingandturning。Ibegintoopenmyscrewsofpaperattwentyminutespastnine。Itisratherearly,forwhichreasonmyBees,onrecoveringtheirliberty,remainforamomentundecidedandlazy;but,afterashortsunbathonastonewhereIplacethem,theytakewing。Iamsittingontheground,facingthesouth,withSerignanonmyleftandPiolenconmyright。Whentheflightisnottooswifttoallowmetoperceivethedirectiontaken,Iseemyreleasedcaptivesdisappeartomyleft。Afew,butonlyafew,gosouth;twoorthreegowest,ortorightofme。Idonotspeakofthenorth,againstwhichIactasascreen。Alltold,thegreatmajoritytaketheleft,thatistosay,thedirectionofthenest。Thelastisreleasedattwentyminutestoten。Oneofthefiftytravellershaslosthermarkinthepaperbag。Ideductherfromthetotal,leavingforty-nine。
AccordingtoAntonia,whowatchesthehome-coming,theearliestarrivalsappearedattwenty-fiveminutestoten,sayfifteenminutesafterthefirstwassetfree。Bytwelveo’clockmid-day,thereareelevenback;and,byfouro’clockintheevening,seventeen。Thatendsthecensus。Total:seventeen,outofforty-nine。
Iresolveduponafourthexperiment,onthe14thofMay。Theweatherisglorious,withalightnortherlybreeze。ItaketwentyMason-bees,markedinpink,ateighto’clockinthemorning。Rotationsatthestart,afterapreliminarybackinginadirectionoppositetothatwhichIintendtotake;tworotationsontheroad;afourthonarriving。AllthosewhoseflightIamabletofollowwithmyeyesturntomyleft,thatistosay,towardsSerignan。YetIhadtakencaretoleavethechoicefreebetweenthetwooppositedirections:inparticular,IhadsentawaymyDog,whowasonmyright。To-day,theBeesdonotcircleroundme:someflyawayatonce;theothers,thegreaternumber,feelinggiddyperhapsafterthepitchingofthejourneyandtherollingofthesling,alightonthegroundafewyardsaway,seemtowaituntiltheyaresomewhatrecoveredandthenflyofftotheleft。Iperceivedthistobethegeneralflight,wheneverIwasabletoobserveatall。Iwasbackataquartertoten。TwoBeeswithpinkmarksweretherebeforeme,ofwhomonewasengagedinbuilding,withherpelletofmortarinhermandibles。Byoneo’clockintheafternoonthereweresevenarrivals;Isawnomoreduringtherestoftheday。Total:sevenoutoftwenty。
Letusbesatisfiedwiththis:theexperimenthasbeenrepeatedoftenenough,butitdoesnotconcludeasDarwinhoped,asImyselfhoped,especiallyafterwhatIhadbeentoldabouttheCat。Invain,adoptingtheadvicegiven,doIcarrymyinsectsfirstintheoppositedirectiontotheplaceatwhichIintendtoreleasethem;invain,whenabouttoretracemysteps,doItwirlmyslingwitheverycomplicationinthewayofwhirlsandtwiststhatIamabletoimagine;invain,thinkingtoincreasethedifficulties,doIrepeattherotationasoftenasfivetimesover:atthestart,ontheroad,onarriving;itmakesnodifference:theMason-beesreturn;andtheproportionofreturnsonthesamedayfluctuatesbetweenthirtyandfortypercent。ItgoestomyhearttoabandonanideasuggestedbysofamousamanofscienceandcherishedallthemorereadilyinasmuchasIthoughtitlikelytoprovideafinalsolution。Thefactsarethere,moreeloquentthananynumberofingeniousviews;andtheproblemremainsasmysteriousasever。
Inthefollowingyear,1881,Ibeganexperimentingagain,butinadifferentway。Hitherto,Ihadworkedonthelevel。Toreturntothenest,mylostBeeshadonlytocrossslightobstacles,thehedgesandspinneysofthetilledfields。To-day,Iproposetoaddtothedifficultiesofdistancethoseofthegroundtobetraversed。
Discontinuingallmybacking-andwhirling-tactics,thingswhichI
recognizeasuseless,IthinkofreleasingmyChalicodomaeinthethickoftheSerignanWoods。Howwilltheyescapefromthatlabyrinth,where,intheearlydays,Ineededacompasstofindmyway?Moreover,Ishallhaveanassistantwithme,apairofeyesyoungerthanmineandbetter-fittedtofollowmyinsects’firstflight。Thatimmediatestartinthedirectionofthenesthasalreadybeenrepeatedveryoftenandisbeginningtointerestmemorethanthereturnitself。A
pharmaceuticalstudent,spendingafewdayswithmyparents,shallbemyeyewitness。Withhim,Ishallfeelatease;scienceandhearenostrangers。
Thetriptothewoodstakesplaceonthe16thofMay。Theweatherishotandhintsatacomingstorm。Thereisaperceptiblebreezefromthesouth,butnotenoughtoupsetmytravellers。FortyMason-beesarecaught。Toshortenthepreparations,becauseofthedistance,Idonotmarkthemwhiletheyareonthenests;Ishallmarkthematthestarting-point,asIreleasethem。Itistheoldmethod,prolificofstings;butIpreferitto-day,inordertosavetime。Ittakesmeanhourtoreachtheplace。Thedistance,therefore,allowingforwindings,isaboutthreemiles。
Thesiteselectedmustpermitmetorecognizethedirectionoftheinsects’firstflight。Ichooseaclearinginthemiddleofthecopses。Allaroundisagreatexpanseofdensewoods,shuttingoutthehorizononeveryside;onthesouth,inthedirectionofthenests,acurtainofhillsrisestoaheightofsomethreehundredfeetabovethespotatwhichIstand。Thewindisnotstrong,butitisblowingintheoppositedirectiontothatwhichmyinsectswillhavetotakeinordertoreachtheirhome。IturnmybackonSerignan,sothat,whenleavingmyfingers,theBees,toreturntothenest,willbeobligedtoflysideways,torightandleftofme;Imarktheinsectsandreleasethemonebyone。Ibeginoperationsattwentyminutespastten。
OnehalfoftheBeesseemratherindolent,flutteraboutforawhile,droptotheground,appeartorecovertheirspiritsandthenstartoff。Theotherhalfshowgreaterdecision。Althoughtheinsectshavetofightagainstthesoftwindthatisblowingfromthesouth,theymakestraightforthenest。Allgosouth,afterdescribingafewcircles,afewloops,aroundus。Thereisnoexceptioninthecaseofanyofthosewhosedepartureweareabletofollow。Thefactisnotedbymyselfandmycolleaguebeyonddisputeordoubt。MyMason-beesheadforthesouthasthoughsomecompasstoldthemwhichwaythewindwasblowing。
Iambackattwelveo’clock。Noneofthestraysisatthenest;but,afewminuteslater,Icatchtwo。Attwoo’clock,thenumberhasincreasedtonine。Butnowtheskycloudsover,thewindfreshensandthestormisapproaching。Wecannolongerrelyonanyfurtherarrivals。Total:nineoutofforty,ortwenty-twopercent。
Theproportionissmallerthanintheformercases,whenitvariedbetweenthirtyandfortypercent。Mustweattributethisresulttothedifficultiestobeovercome?CantheMason-beeshavelosttheirwayinthemazeoftheforest?Itissafernottogiveanopinion:
othercausesintervenedwhichmayhavedecreasedthenumberofthosewhoreturned。Imarkedtheinsectsatthestarting-place;Ihandledthem;andIamnotpreparedtosaythattheywereallinthebestofconditiononleavingmystungandsmartingfingers。Besides,theskyhasbecomeovercast,astormisimminent。InthemonthofMay,sovariable,sofickle,inmypartoftheworld,wecanhardlyevercountonawholedayoffineweather。Asplendidmorningisswiftlyfollowedbyafitfulafternoon;andmyexperimentswithMason-beeshaveoftensufferedbythesevariations。Allthingsconsidered,Iaminclinedtothinkthatthehomewardjourneyacrosstheforestandthemountainiseffectedjustasreadilyasacrossthecorn-fieldsandtheplain。
IhaveonelastresourceleftwherebytotryandputmyBeesoutoftheirlatitude。Iwillfirsttakethemtoagreatdistance;then,describingawidecurve,IwillreturnbyanotherroadandreleasemycaptiveswhenIamnearenoughtothevillage,say,abouttwomiles。A
conveyanceisnecessary,thistime。Mycollaboratorofthedayinthewoodsoffersmetheuseofhisgig。Thetwoofussetoff,withfifteenMason-bees,alongtheroadtoOrange,untilwecometotheviaduct。Here,ontheright,isthestraightribbonoftheoldRomanroad,theViaDomitia。Wetakeit,drivingnorthtowardstheUchauxMountains,theclassichomeofsuperbTuronianfossils。WenextturnbacktowardsSerignan,bythePiolencRoad。AhaltismadebythestretchofcountryknownasFont-Claire,thedistancefromwhichtothevillageisaboutonemileandfivefurlongs。Thereadercaneasilyfollowmyrouteontheordnance-surveymap;andhewillseethattheloopdescribedmeasuresnotfarshortoffivemilesandahalf。
Atthesametime,FaviercameandjoinedmeatFont-Claire,bythedirectroad,theonethatrunsthroughPiolenc。HebroughtwithhimfifteenMason-bees,intendedforpurposesofcomparisonwithmine。I
amthereforeinpossessionoftwosetsofinsects。Fifteen,markedinpink,havetakenthefive-milebend;fifteen,markedinblue,havecomebythestraightroad,theshortestroadforreturningtothenest。Theweatheriswarm,exceedinglybrightandverycalm;Icouldnothopeforabetterdayformyexperiment。Theinsectsaregiventheirfreedomatmid-day。
Atfiveo’clock,thearrivalsnumbersevenofthepinkMason-bees,whomIthoughtthatIhadbewilderedbyalongandcircuitousdrive,andsixoftheblueMason-bees,whocametoFont-Clairebythedirectroute。Thetwoproportions,forty-sixandfortypercent。,arealmostequal;andtheslightexcessinfavouroftheinsectsthatwenttheroundaboutwayisevidentlyanaccidentalresultwhichweneednottakeintoconsideration。Thebenddescribedcannothavehelpedthemtofindtheirwayhome;butithasalsocertainlynothamperedthem。
Thereisnoneedoffurtherproof。TheintricatemovementsofarotationsuchasIhavedescribed;theobstacleofhillsandwoods;
thepitfallsofaroadwhichmoveson,movesbackandreturnsaftermakingawidecircuit:noneoftheseisabletodisconcerttheChalicodomaeorpreventthemfromgoingbacktothenest。
IhadwrittentoCharlesDarwintellinghimofmyfirst,negativeresults,thoseobtainedbyswingingtheBeesinabox。Heexpectedasuccessandwasmuchsurprisedatthefailure。HadhehadtimetoexperimentwithhisPigeons,theywouldhavebehavedjustlikemyBees;thepreliminarytwirlingwouldnothaveaffectedthem。Theproblemcalledforanothermethod;andwhatheproposedwasthis:
’Toplacetheinsectwithinaninductioncoil,soastodisturbanymagneticordiamagneticsensibilitywhichitseemsjustpossiblethattheymaypossess。’
Totreataninsectasyouwouldamagneticneedleandtosubjectittothecurrentfromaninductioncoilinordertodisturbitsmagnetismordiamagnetismappearedtome,Imustconfess,acuriousnotion,worthyofanimaginationinthelastditch。Ihavebutlittleconfidenceinourphysics,whentheypretendtoexplainlife;
nevertheless,myrespectforthegreatmanwouldhavemademeresorttotheinduction-coils,ifIhadpossessedthenecessaryapparatus。
Butmyvillageboastsnoscientificresources:ifIwantanelectricspark,Iamreducedtorubbingasheetofpaperonmyknees。Myphysicscupboardcontainsamagnet;andthatisaboutall。Whenthispenurywasrealised,anothermethodwassuggested,simplerthanthefirstandmorecertaininitsresults,asDarwinhimselfconsidered:
’Tomakeaverythinneedleintoamagnet;thenbreakingitintoveryshortpieces,whichwouldstillbemagnetic,andfasteningoneofthesepieceswithsomecementonthethoraxoftheinsectstobeexperimentedon。Ibelievethatsuchalittlemagnet,fromitscloseproximitytothenervoussystemoftheinsect,wouldaffectitmorethanwouldtheterrestrialcurrents。’
Thereisstillthesameideaofturningtheinsectintoasortofbarmagnet。Theterrestrialcurrentsguideitwhenreturningtothenest。
Itbecomesalivingcompasswhich,withdrawnfromtheactionoftheearthbytheproximityofaloadstone,losesitssenseofdirection。
Withatinymagnetfastenedonitsthorax,parallelwiththenervoussystemandmorepowerfulthantheterrestrialmagnetismbyreasonofitscomparativenearness,theinsectwillloseitsbearings。
Naturally,insettingdowntheselines,Itakeshelterbehindthemightyreputationofthelearnedbegetteroftheidea。Itwouldnotbeacceptedasseriouscomingfromahumblepersonlikemyself。Obscuritycannotaffordtheseaudacioustheories。
Theexperimentseemseasy;itisnotbeyondthemeansatmydisposal。
Letusattemptit。Imagnetiseaveryfineneedlebyrubbingitwithmybarmagnet;Iretainonlytheslenderestpart,thepoint,somefiveorsixmillimetreslong。(。2to。23inch。——Translator’sNote。)Thisbrokenpieceisaperfectmagnet:itattractsandrepelsanothermagnetisedneedlehangingfromathread。Iamalittlepuzzledastothebestwaytofastenitontheinsect’sthorax。Myassistantofthemoment,thepharmaceuticalstudent,requisitionsalltheadhesivesinhislaboratory。Thebestisasortofcereclothwhichhepreparesspeciallywithaveryfinematerial。Itpossessestheadvantagethatitcanbesoftenedatthebowlofone’spipewhenthetimecomestooperateoutofdoors。
IcutoutofthiscereclothasmallsquarethesizeoftheBee’sthorax;andIinsertthemagnetisedpointthroughafewthreadsofthematerial。AllthatwenowhavetodoistosoftenthegumalittleandthendabthethingatonceontheMason-bee’sback,sothatthebrokenneedlerunsparallelwiththespine。Otherenginesofthesamekindarepreparedandduenotetakenoftheirpoles,soastoenablemetopointthesouthpoleattheinsect’sheadinsomecasesandattheoppositeendinothers。
MyassistantandIbeginbyrehearsingtheperformance;wemusthavealittlepracticebeforetryingtheexperimentawayfromhome。Besides,Iwanttoseehowtheinsectwillbehaveinitsmagneticharness。I
takeaMason-beeatworkinhercell,whichImark。Icarryhertomystudy,attheotherendofthehouse。Themagnetisedoutfitisfastenedonthethorax;andtheinsectisletgo。Themomentsheisfree,theBeedropstothegroundandrollsabout,likeamadthing,ontheflooroftheroom。Sheresumesherflight,flopsdownagain,turnsoveronherside,onherback,knocksagainstthethingsinherway,buzzesnoisily,flingsherselfaboutdesperatelyandendsbydartingthroughtheopenwindowinheadlongflight。
Whatdoesitallmean?Themagnetappearstohaveacuriouseffectonmypatient’ssystem!Whatafussshemakes!Howterrifiedsheis!TheBeeseemedutterlydistraughtatlosingherbearingsundertheinfluenceofmyknavishtricks。Letusgotothenestsandseewhathappens。Wehavenotlongtowait:myinsectreturns,butridofitsmagnetictackle。Irecognizeitbythetracesofgumthatstillclingtothehairofthethorax。Itgoesbacktoitscellandresumesitslabours。
Alwaysonmyguardwhensearchingtheunknown,unwillingtodrawconclusionsbeforeweighingtheargumentsforandagainst,IfeeldoubtcreepinginuponmewithregardtowhatIhaveseen。WasitreallythemagneticinfluencethatdisturbedmyBeesostrangely?Whenshestruggledandkickedonthefloor,fightingwildlywithbothlegsandwings,whenshefledinterror,wassheundertheswayofthemagnetfastenedonherback?Canmyappliancehavethwartedtheguidinginfluenceoftheterrestrialcurrentsonhernervoussystem?
Orwasherdistressmerelytheresultofanunwontedharness?Thisiswhatremainstobeseenandthatwithoutdelay。
Iconstructanewapparatus,butprovideitwithashortstrawinplaceofthemagnet。Theinsectcarryingitonitsbackrollsontheground,kicksandflingsherselfaboutlikethefirst,untiltheirksomecontrivanceisremoved,takingwithitapartofthefuronthethorax。Thestrawproducesthesameeffectsasthemagnet,inotherwords,magnetismhadnothingtodowithwhathappened。Myinvention,inbothcasesalike,isacumbroustackleofwhichtheBeetriestoridherselfatoncebyeverypossiblemeans。Tolooktoherfornormalactionssolongasshecarriesanapparatus,magnetizedornot,uponherbackisthesameasexpectingtostudythenaturalhabitsofaDogaftertyingakettletohistail。
Theexperimentwiththemagnetisimpracticable。Whatwouldittellusiftheinsectconsentedtoit?Inmyopinion,itwouldtellusnothing。Inthematterofthehominginstinct,amagnetwouldhavenomoreinfluencethanabitofstraw。
CHAPTER5。THESTORYOFMYCATS。
Ifthisswinging-processfailsentirelywhenitsobjectistomaketheinsectloseitsbearings,whatinfluencecanithaveupontheCat?Isthemethodofwhirlingtheanimalroundinabag,topreventitsreturn,worthyofconfidence?Ibelievedinitatfirst,soclose-
alliedwasittothehopefulideasuggestedbythegreatDarwin。Butmyfaithisnowshaken:myexperiencewiththeinsectmakesmedoubtfuloftheCat。Iftheformerreturnsafterbeingwhirled,whyshouldnotthelatter?Ithereforeembarkuponfreshexperiments。
And,firstofall,towhatextentdoestheCatdeservehisreputationofbeingabletoreturntothebelovedhome,tothescenesofhisamorousexploitsonthetilesandinthehay-lofts?Themostcuriousfactsaretoldofhisinstinct;children’sbooksonnaturalhistoryaboundwithfeatsthatdothegreatestcredittohisprowessasapilgrim。Idonotattachmuchimportancetothesestories:theycomefromcasualobservers,uncriticalfolkgiventoexaggeration。Itisnoteverybodywhocantalkaboutanimalscorrectly。Whensomeonenotofthecraftgetsonthesubjectandsaystome,’Suchorsuchananimalisblack,’Ibeginbyfindingoutifitdoesnothappentobewhite;andmanyatimethetruthisdiscoveredintheconverseproposition。MencometomeandsingthepraisesoftheCatasatravelling-expert。Wellandgood:wewillnowlookupontheCatasapoortraveller。AndthatwouldbetheextentofmyknowledgeifIhadonlytheevidenceofbooksandofpeopleunaccustomedtothescruplesofscientificexamination。Fortunately,Iamacquaintedwithafewincidentsthatwillstandthetestofmyincredulity。TheCatreallydeserveshisreputationasadiscerningpilgrim。Letusrelatetheseincidents。
Oneday——itwasatAvignon——thereappeareduponthegarden-wallawretched-lookingCat,withmattedcoatandprotrudingribs,sothinthathisbackwasamerejaggedridge。Hewasmewingwithhunger。Mychildren,atthattimeveryyoung,tookpityonhismisery。Breadsoakedinmilkwasofferedhimattheendofareed。Hetookit。Andthemouthfulssucceededoneanothertosuchgoodpurposethathewassatedandwentoff,heedlessofthe’Puss!Puss!’ofhiscompassionatefriends。Hungerreturned;andthestarvelingreappearedinhiswall-
toprefectory。Hereceivedthesamefareofbreadsoakedinmilk,thesamesoftwords。Heallowedhimselftobetempted。Hecamedownfromthewall。Thechildrenwereabletostrokehisback。Goodness,howthinhewas!
Itwasthegreattopicofconversation。Wediscusseditattable:wewouldtamethevagabond,wewouldkeephim,wewouldmakehimabedofhay。Itwasamostimportantmatter:Icanseetothisday,IshallalwaysseethecouncilofrattleheadsdeliberatingontheCat’sfate。
Theywerenotsatisfieduntilthesavageanimalremained。SoonhegrewintoamagnificentTom。Hislargeroundhead,hismuscularlegs,hisreddishfur,fleckedwithdarkerpatches,remindedoneofalittlejaguar。HewaschristenedGingerbecauseofhistawnyhue。Amatejoinedhimlater,pickedupinalmostsimilarcircumstances。SuchwastheoriginofmyseriesofGingers,whichIhaveretainedforlittleshortoftwentyyearsthroughthevicissitudesofmyvariousremovals。
Thefirstoftheseremovalstookplacein1870。Alittleearlier,aministerwhohasleftalastingmemoryintheUniversity,thatfineman,VictorDuruy(JeanVictorDuruy(1811-1894),authorofanumberofhistoricalworks,includingawell-known\"HistoiredesRomains\",andministerofpublicinstructionunderNapoleonIII。from1863to1869。Cf。\"TheLifeoftheFly\":chapter20。——Translator’sNote。),hadinstitutedclassesforthesecondaryeducationofgirls。Thiswasthebeginning,asfaraswasthenpossible,oftheburningquestionofto-day。Iverygladlylentmyhumbleaidtothislabouroflight。I
wasputtoteachphysicalandnaturalscience。Ihadfaithandwasnotsparingofwork,withtheresultthatIrarelyfacedamoreattentiveorinterestedaudience。Thedaysonwhichthelessonsfellwerered-
letterdays,especiallywhenthelessonwasbotanyandthetabledisappearedfromviewunderthetreasuresoftheneighbouringconservatories。
Thatwasgoingtoofar。Infact,youcanseehowheinousmycrimewas:
Itaughtthoseyoungpersonswhatairandwaterare;whencethelightningcomesandthethunder;bywhatdeviceourthoughtsaretransmittedacrosstheseasandcontinentsbymeansofametalwire;
whyfireburnsandwhywebreathe;howaseedputsforthshootsandhowaflowerblossoms:alleminentlyhatefulthingsintheeyesofsomepeople,whosefeebleeyesaredazzledbythelightofday。
Thelittlelampmustbeputoutasquicklyaspossibleandmeasurestakentogetridoftheofficiouspersonwhostrovetokeepitalight。
Theschemewasdarklyplottedwiththeoldmaidswhoownedmyhouseandwhosawtheabominationofdesolationintheseneweducationalmethods。Ihadnowrittenagreementtoprotectme。Thebailiffappearedwithanoticeonstampedpaper。ItbaldlyinformedthatI
mustmoveoutwithinfourweeksfromdate,failingwhichthelawwouldturnmygoodsandchattelsintothestreet。Ihadhurriedlytoprovidemyselfwithadwelling。ThefirsthousewhichwefoundhappenedtobeatOrange。ThuswasmyexodusfromAvignoneffected。
WeweresomewhatanxiousaboutthemovingoftheCats。Wewereallofusattachedtothemandshouldhavethoughtitnothingshortofcriminaltoabandonthepoorcreatures,whomwehadsooftenpetted,todistressandprobablytothoughtlesspersecution。Theshesandthekittenswouldtravelwithoutanytrouble:allyouhavetodoistoputtheminabasket;theywillkeepquietonthejourney。ButtheoldTom-catswereaseriousproblem。Ihadtwo:theheadofthefamily,thepatriarch;andoneofhisdescendants,quiteasstrongashimself。
Wedecidedtotakethegrandsire,ifheconsentedtocome,andtoleavethegrandsonbehind,afterfindinghimahome。
MyfriendDr。Loriolofferedtotakechargeoftheforsakenone。Theanimalwascarriedtohimatnightfallinaclosedhamper。Hardlywereweseatedattheevening-meal,talkingofthegoodfortuneofourTom-
cat,whenwesawadrippingmassjumpthroughthewindow。Theshapelessbundlecameandrubbeditselfagainstourlegs,purringwithhappiness。ItwastheCat。
Ilearnthisstorynextday。OnarrivingatDr。Loriol’s,hewaslockedupinabedroom。Themomenthesawhimselfaprisonerintheunfamiliarroom,hebegantojumpaboutwildlyonthefurniture,againstthewindow-panes,amongtheornamentsonthemantelpiece,threateningtomakeshortworkofeverything。Mme。Loriolwasfrightenedbythelittlelunatic;shehastenedtoopenthewindow;andtheCatleaptoutamongthepassers-by。Afewminuteslater,hewasbackathome。Anditwasnoeasymatter:hehadtocrossthetownalmostfromendtoend;hehadtomakehiswaythroughalonglabyrinthofcrowdedstreets,amidathousanddangers,includingfirstboysandnextdogs;lastly——andthisperhapswasanevenmoreseriousobstacle——hehadtopassovertheSorgue,ariverrunningthroughAvignon。Therewerebridgesathand,many,infact;buttheanimal,takingtheshortestcut,hadusednoneofthem,bravelyjumpingintothewater,asitsstreamingfurshowed。IhadpityonthepoorCat,sofaithfultohishome。Weagreedtodoourutmosttotakehimwithus。
Weweresparedtheworry:afewdayslater,hewasfoundlyingstiffandstarkunderashrubinthegarden。Thepluckyanimalhadfallenavictimtosomestupidactofspite。Someonehadpoisonedhimforme。
Who?Itisnotlikelythatitwasafriend!
ThereremainedtheoldCat。Hewasnotindoorswhenwestarted;hewasprowlingroundthehay-loftsoftheneighbourhood。ThecarrierwaspromisedanextratenfrancsifhebroughttheCattoOrangewithoneoftheloadswhichhehadstilltoconvey。Onhislastjourneyhebroughthimstowedawayunderthedriver’sseat。IscarcelyknewmyoldTomwhenweopenedthemovingprisoninwhichhehadbeenconfinedsincethedaybefore。Hecameoutlookingamostalarmingbeast,scratchingandspitting,withbristlinghair,bloodshoteyes,lipswhitewithfoam。Ithoughthimmadandwatchedhimcloselyforatime。
Iwaswrong:itwasmerelythefrightofabewilderedanimal。Hadtherebeentroublewiththecarrierwhenhewascaught?Didhehaveabadtimeonthejourney?Historyissilentonbothpoints。WhatIdoknowisthattheverynatureoftheCatseemedchanged:therewasnomorefriendlypurring,nomorerubbingagainstourlegs;nothingbutawildexpressionandthedeepestgloom。Kindtreatmentcouldnotsoothehim。Forafewweekslonger,hedraggedhiswretchedexistencefromcornertocorner;then,oneday,Ifoundhimlyingdeadintheashesonthehearth。Grief,withthehelpofoldage,hadkilledhim。WouldhehavegonebacktoAvignon,hadhehadthestrength?Iwouldnotventuretoaffirmit。But,atleast,Ithinkitveryremarkablethatananimalshouldletitselfdieofhome-sicknessbecausetheinfirmitiesofagepreventitfromreturningtoitsoldhaunts。
Whatthepatriarchcouldnotattempt,weshallseeanotherdo,overamuchshorterdistance,Iadmit。Afreshmoveisresolvedupon,thatI
mayhave,atlength,thepeaceandquietessentialtomywork。Thistime,Ihopethatitwillbethelast。IleaveOrangeforSerignan。
ThefamilyofGingershasbeenrenewed:theoldoneshavepassedaway,newoneshavecome,includingafull-grownTom,worthyinallrespectsofhisancestors。Healonewillgiveussomedifficulty;theothers,thebabiesandthemothers,canberemovedwithouttrouble。Weputthemintobaskets。TheTomhasonetohimself,sothatthepeacemaybekept。Thejourneyismadebycarriage,incompanywithmyfamily。
Nothingstrikinghappensbeforeourarrival。Releasedfromtheirhampers,thefemalesinspectthenewhome,exploretheroomsonebyone;withtheirpinknosestheyrecognizethefurniture:theyfindtheirownseats,theirowntables,theirownarm-chairs;butthesurroundingsaredifferent。Theygivelittlesurprisedmiaowsandquestioningglances。Afewcaressesandasaucerofmilkallayalltheirapprehensions;and,bythenextday,themotherCatsareacclimatised。
ItisadifferentmatterwiththeTom。Wehousehimintheattics,wherehewillfindampleroomforhiscapers;wekeephimcompany,torelievethewearinessofcaptivity;wetakehimadoubleportionofplatestolick;fromtimetotime,weplacehimintouchwithsomeofhisfamily,toshowhimthatheisnotaloneinthehouse;wepayhimahostofattentions,inthehopeofmakinghimforgetOrange。Heappears,infact,toforgetit:heisgentleunderthehandthatpetshim,hecomeswhencalled,purrs,archeshisback。Itiswell:aweekofseclusionandkindlytreatmenthavebanishedallnotionsofreturning。Letusgivehimhisliberty。Hegoesdowntothekitchen,standsbythetableliketheothers,goesoutintothegarden,underthewatchfuleyeofAglae,whodoesnotlosesightofhim;heprowlsallaroundwiththemostinnocentair。Hecomesback。Victory!TheTom-catwillnotrunaway。
Nextmorning:
’Puss!Puss!’
Notasignofhim!Wehunt,wecall。Nothing。Oh,thehypocrite,thehypocrite!Howhehastrickedus!Hehasgone,heisatOrange。Noneofthoseaboutmecanbelieveinthisventuresomepilgrimage。I
declarethatthedeserterisatthismomentatOrangemewingoutsidetheemptyhouse。
AglaeandClairewenttoOrange。TheyfoundtheCat,asIsaidtheywould,andbroughthimbackinahamper。Hispawsandbellywerecoveredwithredclay;andyettheweatherwasdry,therewasnomud。
TheCat,therefore,musthavegotwetcrossingtheAyguestorrent;andthemoistfurhadkepttheredearthofthefieldsthroughwhichhepassed。ThedistancefromSerignantoOrange,inastraightline,isfourandahalfmiles。TherearetwobridgesovertheAygues,oneaboveandonebelowthatline,somedistanceaway。TheCattookneithertheonenortheother:hisinstincttoldhimtheshortestroadandhefollowedthatroad,ashisbelly,coveredwithredmud,proved。
HecrossedthetorrentinMay,atatimewhentheriversrunhigh;heovercamehisrepugnancetowaterinordertoreturntohisbelovedhome。TheAvignonTomdidthesamewhencrossingtheSorgue。
ThedeserterwasreinstatedinhisatticatSerignan。Hestayedthereforafortnight;andatlastwelethimout。Twenty-fourhourshadnotelapsedbeforehewasbackatOrange。Wehadtoabandonhimtohisunhappyfate。Aneighbourlivingoutinthecountry,nearmyformerhouse,toldmethathesawhimonedayhidingbehindahedgewitharabbitinhismouth。Oncenolongerprovidedwithfood,he,accustomedtoallthesweetsofaCat’sexistence,turnedpoacher,takingtollofthefarm-yardsroundaboutmyoldhome。Iheardnomoreofhim。Hecametoabadend,nodoubt:hehadbecomearobberandmusthavemetwitharobber’sfate。
Theexperimenthasbeenmadeandhereistheconclusion,twiceproved。
Full-grownCatscanfindtheirwayhome,inspiteofthedistanceandtheircompleteignoranceoftheinterveningground。Theyhave,intheirownfashion,theinstinctofmyMason-bees。Asecondpointremainstobeclearedup,thatoftheswingingmotioninthebag。Aretheythrownoutoftheirlatitudebythisstratagem,areortheynot?
Iwasthinkingofmakingsomeexperiments,whenmorepreciseinformationarrivedandtaughtmethatitwasnotnecessary。Thefirstwhoacquaintedmewiththemethodoftherevolvingbagwastellingthestorytoldhimbyasecondperson,whorepeatedthestoryofathird,astoryrelatedontheauthorityofafourth;andsoon。Nonehadtriedit,nonehadseenitforhimself。Itisatraditionofthecountry-side。Oneandallextolitasaninfalliblemethod,without,forthemostpart,havingattemptedit。Andthereasonwhichtheygiveforitssuccessis,intheireyes,conclusive。If,saythey,weourselvesareblind-foldedandthenspinroundforafewseconds,wenolongerknowwhereweare。EvensowiththeCatcarriedoffinthedarknessoftheswingingbag。Theyarguefrommantotheanimal,justasothersarguefromtheanimaltoman:afaultymethodineithercase,iftherereallybetwodistinctpsychicworlds。
Thebeliefwouldnotbesodeep-rootedinthepeasant’smind,iffactshadnotfromtimetotimeconfirmedit。Butwemayassumethat,insuccessfulcases,theCatsmadetolosetheirbearingswereyoungandunemancipatedanimals。Withthoseneophytes,adropofmilkisenoughtodispelthegriefofexile。Theydonotreturnhome,whethertheyhavebeenwhirledinabagornot。Peoplehavethoughtitaswelltosubjectthemtothewhirlingoperationbywayofanadditionalprecaution;andthemethodhasreceivedthecreditofasuccessthathasnothingtodowithit。Inordertotestthemethodproperly,itshouldhavebeentriedonafull-grownCat,agenuineTom。
IdidintheendgettheevidencewhichIwantedonthispoint。
Intelligentandtrustworthypeople,notgiventojumpingtoconclusions,havetoldmethattheyhavetriedthetrickoftheswingingbagtokeepCatsfromreturningtotheirhomes。Noneofthemsucceededwhentheanimalwasfull-grown。Thoughcarriedtoagreatdistance,intoanotherhouse,andsubjectedtoaconscientiousseriesofrevolutions,theCatalwayscameback。IhaveinmindmoreparticularlyadestroyeroftheGoldfishinafountain,who,whentransportedfromSerignantoPiolenc,accordingtothetime-honouredmethod,returnedtohisfish;who,whencarriedintothemountainandleftinthewoods,returnedoncemore。Thebagandtheswingingroundprovedofnoavail;andthemiscreanthadtobeputtodeath。Ihaveverifiedafairnumberofsimilarinstances,allundermostfavourableconditions。Theevidenceisunanimous:therevolvingmotionneverkeepstheadultCatfromreturninghome。Thepopularbelief,whichI
foundsoseductiveatfirst,isacountryprejudice,baseduponimperfectobservation。Wemust,therefore,abandonDarwin’sideawhentryingtoexplainthehomingoftheCataswellasoftheMason-bee。
CHAPTER6。THEREDANTS。
ThePigeontransportedforhundredsofmilesisabletofindhiswaybacktohisDove-cot;theSwallow,returningfromhiswinterquartersinAfrica,crossestheseaandoncemoretakespossessionoftheoldnest。Whatguidesthemontheselongjourneys?Isitsight?Anobserverofsupremeintelligence,onewho,thoughsurpassedbyothersintheknowledgeofthestuffedanimalunderaglasscase,isalmostunrivalledinhisknowledgeoftheliveanimalinitswildstate,Toussenel(AlphonseToussenel(1803-1885),theauthorofanumberofinterestingandvaluableworksonornithology。——Translator’sNote。),theadmirablewriterof\"L’Espritdesbetes\",speaksofsightandmeteorologyastheCarrier-pigeon’sguides:
’TheFrenchbird,’hesays,’knowsbyexperiencethatthecoldweathercomesfromthenorth,thehotfromthesouth,thedryfromtheeastandthewetfromthewest。Thatisenoughmeteorologicalknowledgetotellhimthecardinalpointsandtodirecthisflight。ThePigeontakeninaclosedbasketfromBrusselstoToulousehascertainlynomeansofreadingthemapoftheroutewithhiseyes;butnoonecanpreventhimfromfeeling,bythewarmthoftheatmosphere,thatheispursuingtheroadtothesouth。WhenrestoredtolibertyatToulouse,healreadyknowsthatthedirectionwhichhemustfollowtoregainhisDove-cotisthedirectionofthenorth。Thereforehewingsstraightinthatdirectionanddoesnotstopuntilhenearsthoselatitudeswherethemeantemperatureisthatofthezonewhichheinhabits。Ifhedoesnotfindhishomeatthefirstonset,itisbecausehehasbornealittletoomuchtotherightortotheleft。Inanycase,ittakeshimbutafewhours’searchinaneasterlyorwesterlydirectiontocorrecthismistake。’
Theexplanationisatemptingonewhenthejourneyistakennorthandsouth;butitdoesnotapplytoajourneyeastandwest,onthesameisothermalline。Besides,ithasthisdefect,thatitdoesnotadmitofgeneralization。OnecannottalkofsightandstilllessoftheinfluenceofachangeofclimatewhenaCatreturnshome,fromoneendofatowntotheother,threadinghiswaythroughalabyrinthofstreetsandalleyswhichheseesforthefirsttime。NorisitsightthatguidesmyMason-bees,especiallywhentheyareletlooseinthethickofawood。Theirlowflight,eightorninefeetabovetheground,doesnotallowthemtotakeapanoramicviewnortogatherthelieoftheland。Whatneedhavetheyoftopography?Theirhesitationisshort-lived:afterdescribingafewnarrowcirclesaroundtheexperimenter,theystartinthedirectionofthenest,despitethecoveroftheforest,despitethescreenofatallchainofhillswhichtheycrossbymountingtheslopeatnogreatheightfromtheground。
Sightenablesthemtoavoidobstacles,withoutgivingthemageneralideaoftheirroad。Norhasmeteorologyaughttodowiththecase:theclimatehasnotvariedinthosefewmilesoftransit。MyMason-beeshavenotlearntfromanyexperienceofheat,cold,drynessanddamp:
anexistenceofafewweeks’durationdoesnotallowofthis。And,eveniftheyknewallaboutthefourcardinalpoints,thereisnodifferenceinclimatebetweenthespotwheretheirnestliesandthespotatwhichtheyarereleased;sothatdoesnothelpthemtosettlethedirectioninwhichtheyaretotravel。
Toexplainthesemanymysteries,wearedriventhereforetoappealtoyetanothermystery,thatistosay,aspecialsensedeniedtomankind。CharlesDarwin,whoseweightyauthoritynoonewillgainsay,arrivesatthesameconclusion。Toaskiftheanimalbenotimpressedbytheterrestrialcurrents,toenquireifitbenotinfluencedbythecloseproximityofamagneticneedle:whatisthisbuttherecognitionofamagneticsense?Dowepossessasimilarfaculty?Iamspeaking,ofcourse,ofthemagnetismofthephysicistsandnotofthemagnetismoftheMesmersandCagliostros。Assuredlywepossessnothingremotelylikeit。Whatneedwouldthemarinerhaveofacompass,werehehimselfacompass?
Andthisiswhatthegreatscientistacknowledges:aspecialsense,soforeigntoourorganismthatwearenotabletoformaconceptionofit,guidesthePigeon,theSwallow,theCat,theMason-beeandahostofotherswhenawayfromhome。WhetherthissensebemagneticornoI
willnottakeuponmyselftodecide;Iamcontenttohavehelped,innosmalldegree,toestablishitsexistence。Anewsenseaddedtoournumber:whatanacquisition,whatasourceofprogress!Whyarewedeprivedofit?Itwouldhavebeenafineweaponandofgreatserviceinthestruggleforlife。If,asiscontended,thewholeoftheanimalkingdom,includingman,isderivedfromasinglemould,theoriginalcell,andbecomesself-evolvedinthecourseoftime,favouringthebest-endowedandleavingthelesswell-endowedtoperish,howcomesitthatthiswonderfulsenseistheportionofahumblefewandthatithasleftnotraceinman,theculminatingachievementofthezoologicalprogression?Ourprecursorswereveryill-advisedtoletsomagnificentaninheritancego:itwasbetterworthkeepingthanavertebraofthecoccyxorahairofthemoustache。