fabre, poet of science-第25节

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reason　or　its　finality。〃



Thus　whatever　opinion　we　may　hold　as　to　the　nature　of　instinct；　the

accomplishments　and　habits　of　insects　are　not；　properly　speaking；　connected

with　the　external　and　visible　form　of　their　organs；　and　their　acts　do　not

necessarily　presuppose　the　instruments　which　would　be　appropriate　to　them。



We　know　that　with　most　organisms；　and　particularly　with　plants；　an　almost

imperceptible　variation　in　material　circumstances　is　often　enough　to　modify

their　character　and　to　produce　fresh　aptitudes。　Nevertheless；　we　can　but

wonder；　with　Fabre；　that　physical　modifications；　which；　when　they　do　exist；

are　so　slight　always　as　to　have　escaped　the　most　perfect　observation；

should　have　sufficed　to　determine　the　appearance　of　profoundly　dissimilar

faculties。　Inexplicable　abilities；　unexpected　habits；　unforeseen　physical

aptitudes；　and　unheard…of　industries　are　exercised　by　means　of　organs　which

are　here　and　there　practically　identical。　〃The　same　tools　are　equally　good

for　any　purpose。　Talent　alone　is　able　to　adapt　them　to　manifold　ends。〃



The　Anthidia　have　two　particular　industries；　〃those　which　felt　cotton　and

card　the　soft　down　of　hairy　plants　have　the　same　claws；　the　same　mandibles；

composed　of　the　same　portions　as　those　which　knead　resin　and　mix　it　with

fine　gravel。〃　（8/21。）



The　sloe…weevil　〃bores　the　hard　stone　of　the　sloe　with　the　same　rostrum　as

that　which　its　congeners；　so　like　it　in　conformation；　employ　to　roll　the

leaves　of　the　vine　and　the　poplar　into　tiny　cigars。〃



The　implement　of　the　Megachile；　the　rose…fly；　is　by　no　means　appropriate　to

its　industry；　〃yet　the　perfectly　circular　fragments　of　leaves　have　the

precise　perfection　of　form　that　a　punch　would　give。〃



The　Xylocopa；　in　order　to　pierce　wood　and　to　bore　its　galleries　in　an　old

rafter；　employs　〃the　same　utensils　which　in　others　are　transformed　into

picks　and　mattocks　to　attack　clay　and　gravel；　and　it　is　only　a

predisposition　of　talent　that　holds　each　worker　to　his　speciality。〃



Moreover；　have　not　the　superior　animals　the　same　senses　and　the　same

structure；　yet　what　inequality　there　is　among　them；　in　the　matter　of

aptitudes　and　degrees　of　intelligence！



Habits　are　no　more　determined　by　anatomical　peculiarities　than　are

aptitudes　or　industries。



The　two　Goat…moth　caterpillars；　of　similar　structure；　have　entirely

different　stomachic　aptitudes；　〃the　exclusive　portion　of　the　one　is　the　oak

and　of　the　other　the　hawthorn　or　the　cherry…laurel。〃



〃Whence　does　the　Mantis　derive　its　excessive　hunger；　its　pugnacity；　its

cannibalism；　and　the　Empusa　its　sobriety；　its　peaceableness；　when　their

almost　identical　organization　would　seem　to　indicate　an　identity　of　needs；

instincts；　and　habits？〃



In　the　same　way　the　black　scorpion　appears　to　present　none　of　the

interesting　peculiarities　which　we　observe　in　the　habits　of　its　congener；

the　white　scorpion　of　Languedoc。　（8/22。）



Structure；　therefore；　tells　us　nothing　of　aptitude；　the　organ　does　not

explain　its　function。　Let　the　specialists　hypnotize　themselves　over　their

lenses　and　microscopes；　they　may　accumulate　at　leisure　masses　of　details

relating　to　this　or　that　family　or　genus　or　individual；　they　may　undertake

the　most　subtle　inquiries；　may　write　thousands　and　thousands　of　pages　in

order　to　detail　a　few　slight　variations；　without　even　succeeding　in

exhausting　the　matter：　they　will　not　even　have　seen　what　is　most　wonderful。



When　the　little　insect　has　for　the　last　time　cleaned　its　claws；　the　secret

of　the　little　mind　has　fled　for　ever；　with　all　the　feelings　that　animated

it　and　gave　it　life。　That　which　is　crystallized　in　death　cannot　explain

what　was　life。　This　is　the　thought　which　the　Proven？al　singer；　with　that

intuition　which　is　the　privilege　of　genius；　has　expressed　in　these

melodious　lines：　



〃Oh！　pau　de　sèn　qu'emé　l'escaupre

Furnant　la　mort；　creson　de　saupre；　

La　vertu　de　l'abiho　e　lou　secrèt　doù　méu。〃



（O　men　of　little　sense；　who　seek；　

Scalpel　in　hand；　to　make　Death　tell

The　virtue　of　the　bee；　the　secret　of　her　cell！）　（8/23。）





CHAPTER　9。　EVOLUTION　OR　〃TRANSFORMISM。〃



〃How　did　a　miserable　grub　acquire　its　marvellous　knowledge？　Are　its　habits；

its　aptitudes；　and　its　industries　the　integration　of　the　infinitely　little；

acquired　by　successive　experiences　on　the　limitless　path　of　time？〃



It　is　in　these　words　that　Fabre　presents　the　problem　of　evolution。



Difficult　though　it　may　be　to　follow　the　sequence　of　forms　which　have

endlessly　succeeded　and　replaced　one　another　on　the　face　of　the　earth；

since　the　beginning　of　the　world；　it　is　certain　that　all　living　creatures

are　closely　related；　and　the　magnificent　and　fertile　hypothesis　of

evolution；　which　seeks　to　explain　how　extant　forms　are　derived　from

extinct；　has　the　immense　advantage　of　giving　a　plausible　reason　for　the

majority　of　the　facts　which　at　least　cease　to　be　completely　unintelligible。



Otherwise　we　can　certainly　never　imagine　how　so　many　instincts；　and　these

so　complex　and　perfect；　could　have　issued　suddenly　〃from　the　urn　of

hazard。〃



But　Fabre　will　suppose　nothing；　he　will　only　record　the　facts。　Instead　of

wandering　in　the　region　of　probabilities；　he　prefers　to　confine　himself　to

the　reality；　and　for　the　rest　to　reply　simply　that　〃we　do　not　know。〃



This　stern；　positive；　rigorous；　independent；　and　observant　mind；　nourished

upon　geometry　and　the　exact　sciences；　which　has　never　been　able　to　content

itself　with　approximations　and　probabilities；　could　but　distrust　the

seductions　of　hypotheses。



His　robust　common　sense；　which　was　always　his　protection　against

precipitate　conclusions；　too　clearly　comprehends　the　limits　of　science　and

the　necessity　of　accumulating　facts　〃upon　the　thorny　path　of　observation

and　experiment〃　to　indulge　in　generalization。　He　feels　that　life　has

secrets　which　our　minds　are　powerless　to　probe；　and　that　〃human　knowledge

will　be　erased　from　the　archives　of　the　world　before　we　know　the　last　word

concerning　the　smallest　fly。〃



This　is　why　he　was　regarded　as　〃suspect〃　by　the　company　of　official

scientists；　to　whom　he　was　a　dissenter；　almost　a　traitor；　especially　at　a

moment　when　the　theories　of　evolution；　then　in　the　first　flush　of　their

novelty；　were　everywhere　the　cause　of　a　general　elation。



No　one　as　yet　was　capable　of　divining　the　man　of　the　future　in　this　modest

thinker　who　would　not　accept　the　word　of　the　masters　interested；　but　in

opposing　the　theory　of　transformation；　far　from　being　reactionary；　Fabre

revealed　himself；　at　least　in　the　domain　of　animal　psychology；　as　an

innovator；　a　true　precursor。



Moreover；　his　observations；　always　so　direct　and　personal；　often　revealed

the　contrary　of　what　was　asserted　or　foreseen　by　the　magic　formulae

suggested　by　the　mind。



To　the　ingenious　mechanism　invented　by　the　transformists　he　preferred　to

oppose；　not　contrary　argument；　but　the　naked　undeniable　fact；　the　obvious

testimony；　the　certain　and　irrefragable　example。　〃Is　it；〃　he　would　ask

them；　〃to　repulse　their　enemies　that　certain　caterpillars　smear　themselves

with　a　corrosive　product？　But　the　larva　of　the　Calosoma　sycophanta；　which

feeds　on　the　Processional　caterpillar　of　the　oak…tree；　pays　no　heed　to　it；

neither　does　the　Dermestes；　which　feeds　on　the　entrails　of　the　Processional

caterpillar　of　the　pine…tree。〃



And　consider　mimicry。　According　to　the　theory　of　evolution；　certain　insects

would　utilize　their　resemblance　to　certain　others　in　order　to　conceal

themselves；　and　to　introduce　themselves　into　the　dwellings　of　the　latter　as

parasites　living　at　their　expense。　Such　would　be　the　case　with　the

Volucella；　a　large　fly　whose　costume；　striped　with　brown　and　yellow　bands；

gives　it　a　rude　resemblance　to　the　wasp。　Obliged；　if　not　for　its　own　sake

at　least　for　that　of　its　family；　to　force　itself　into　the　wasp's　dwelling

as　a　parasite；　it　deceitfully　dresses　itself；　we　are　told；　in　the　livery　of

its　victim；　thus　affording　the　most　curious　and　striking　example　of

mimicry；　and　naturalists　insufficiently　informed　would　regard　it　as　one　of

the　greatest　triumphs　of　evolution。



Now　what　does　the　Volucella　do？　It　is　true　that　it　lays　its　eggs　without

being　disturbed　in　the　nest　of　the　wasp。　But；　as　the　rigorous　observer　will

tell　you；　it　is　a　precious　auxiliary　and　not　an　enemy　of　the　community。　Its

grubs；　far　from　disguising　or　concealing　themselves；　〃come　and　go　openly

upon　the　combs；　although　every　stranger　is　immediately　massacred　and　thrown

out。〃　Moreover；　〃they　watch　the　hygiene　of　the　city　by　clearing　the　nest　of

its　dead　and　ridding　the　larvae　of　the　wasps　of　their　excretory　products。〃

Plunging　successively　into　each　chamber　of　the　dormitory　the　forepart　of

their　bodies；　〃they　provoke　the　emission　of　that　fluid　excrement　of　which

the　larvae；　owing　to　their　cloistration；　contain　an　extreme　reserve。〃　In　a

word；　the　grubs　of　the　Volucella　〃are　the　nurses　of　the　larvae；〃　performing