fabre, poet of science-第29节

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barely　exceeds　that　of　the　plant；　which；　a　stranger　to　any　sense　of

affection　or　morality；　none　the　less　exercises　the　most　exquisite　care　in

respect　of　its　seeds。〃



Moreover；　the　impulse　to　work　is　only　a　kind　of　unconscious　pleasure。　When

the　Pelopaeus　〃has　stored　her　lair　with　game；〃　when　the　Cerceris　has　sealed

the　crypt　to　which　she　has　confided　the　future　of　her　race；　neither　one　nor

the　other　can　foresee　〃the　future　offspring　which　their　faceted　eyes　will

never　behold；　and　the　very　object　of　their　labours　is　to　them　occult。〃



With　them；　as　with　all；　life　can　only　be　a　perpetual　illusion。



Yet　the　marvellous　edifice　of　the　〃Souvenirs　entomologiques〃　is　consummated

by　the　astonishing　history　of　the　Minotaur；　whose　habits　surpass　in　ideal

beauty　all　that　could　be　imagined。



At　the　bottom　of　a　burrow；　in　a　deeply　sunken　vault；　two　dung…beetles　are

at　work；　the　Minotaurs；　who；　once　united；　recognize　one　another；　and　can

find　one　another　again　if　separated；　but　do　not　voluntarily　separate；

realizing　〃the　moral　beauty　of　the　double　life〃　and　〃the　touching　concept

of　the　family；　the　sacred　group　par　excellence。〃　The　male　buries　himself

with　his　companion；　remains　faithful　to　her；　comes　to　her　assistance；　and

〃stores　up　treasure　for　the　future。　Never　discouraged　by　the　heavy　labour

of　climbing；　leaving　to　the　mother　only　the　more　moderate　labour；　keeping

the　severest　for　himself；　the　heavy　task　of　transport　in　a　narrow　tunnel；

very　deep　and　almost　vertical；　he　goes　foraging；　forgetful　of　himself；

heedless　of　the　intoxicating　delights　of　spring；　though　it　would　be　so　good

to　see　something　of　the　country；　to　feast　with　his　brothers；　and　to　pester

the　neighbours；　but　no！　he　collects　the　food　which　is　to　nourish　his

children；　and　then；　when　all　is　ready　for　the　new…comers；　when　their　living

is　assured；　having　spent　himself　without　counting　the　cost；　exhausted　by

his　efforts；　and　feeling　himself　failing；　he　leaves　his　home　and　goes　away

to　die；　that　he　may　not　pollute　the　dwelling　with　a　corpse。〃



The　mother；　on　her　side；　allows　nothing　to　divert　her　from　her　household；

and　only　returns　to　the　surface　when　accompanied　by　her　young；　who　disperse

at　will。　Then；　having　nothing　more　to　do；　the　devoted　creature　perishes　in

turn。　（10/3。）



Compared　with　the　Scarabaeus；　which　contents　itself　with　idle　wandering；　or

even　with　the　meritorious　Sisyphus；　does　it　not　seem　that　the　Minotaur

moves　on　an　infinitely　higher　plane？



What　nobler　could　be　found　among　ourselves？　What　father　ever　better

comprehended　his　duties　and　obligations　toward　his　family？　What　morality

could　be　more　irreproachable；　what　fairer　example　could　be　meditated？



〃Is　not　life　everywhere　the　same；　in　the　body　of　the　dung…beetle　as　in　that

of　man？　If　we　examine　it　in　the　insect；　do　we　not　examine　it　in　ourselves？〃



Whence　does　the　Minotaur　derive　these　particular　graces？　How　has　it　risen

to　so　high　a　level　on　the　wings　of　pure　instinct？　How　could　we　explain　the

rarity　of　so　sublime　an　example；　did　we　not　know；　to　satiety；　that　〃nature

everywhere　is　but　an　enigmatic　poem；　as　who　should　say　a　veiled　and　misty

picture；　shining　with　an　infinite　variety　of　deceptive　lights　in　order　to

evoke　our　conjectures〃？　（10/4。）



Nevertheless；　it　is　a　fact　that　the　majority　have　no　other　rule　of　conduct

than　to　follow　the　trend　of　their　instincts；　and　to　obey　〃their　unbridled

desires。〃　No　one　better　than　Fabre　has　expounded　the　blind　operation　of

these　little　natural　forces；　the　brutality　of　their　manners；　their

cannibalism；　and　what　we　might　call　their　amorality；　were　it　possible　to

employ　our　human　formulae　outside　our　own　human　world。



With　the　gardener…beetles；　if　one　is　crippled；　none　of　the　same　race　halts

or　lingers；　none　attempts　to　come　to　his　aid。　Sometimes　the　passers…by

hasten　to　the　invalid　to　devour　him。〃



In　the　republic　of　the　wasps　〃the　grubs　recognized　as　incurable　are

pitilessly　torn　from　their　place　and　dragged　out　of　the　nest。　Woe　to　the

sick！　they　are　helpless　and　at　once　expelled。〃



When　the　winter　comes　all　the　larvae　are　massacred；　and　the　whole　vespine

city　ends　in　a　horrible　tragedy。



But　life　is　a　whole；　and　all　conduct　is　good　whose　actions　realize　an

object　and　are　adapted　to　an　end。　If　there　is　a　〃spirit〃　of　the　hive；　the

insect　also　has　its　morality　and　the　wasp's　nest　its　〃law；〃　and　the　conduct

of　its　inmates；　horrible　though　it　may　seem　to　Fabre；　is　doubtless　only　a

submission　to　certain　exigencies　of　that　universal　law　which　makes　nature　a

〃savage　foster…mother　who　knows　nothing　of　pity。〃



These　cruelties　particularly　show　us　that　one　of　the　functions　of　the

insect　in　nature　is　to　preside　over　the　disappearance　and　also　the　ultimate

metamorphoses　of　the　least　〃remnants　of　life。〃



Each　has　its　providential　hygienic　function。



The　Necrophori；　〃the　first　of　the　tiny　scavengers　of　the　fields；〃　bury

corpses　in　order　to　establish　their　progeny　in　them；　in　the　space　of　a　few

hours　an　enormous　body；　a　mole；　a　water…rat；　or　an　adder；　will　completely

disappear；　buried　under　the　earth。



The　Onthophagi　purify　the　soil；　〃dividing　all　filth　into　tiny　crumbs；

ridding　the　earth　of　its　defilements。〃



A　very　small　beetle；　the　Trox；　has　the　imprescriptible　mission　of　purging

the　earth　of　the　rabbits'　fur　rejected　by　the　fox。　（10/5。）



Here　structure　explains　the　function。



The　intestine　of　the　grub　of　the　rose…beetle　〃is　a　veritable　triturating

mill；　which　transforms　vegetable　matter　into　mould；　in　a　month　it　will

digest　a　volume　of　matter　equal　to　several　thousand　times　the　initial

volume　of　the　grub。〃



The　intestine　of　the　Scarabaei　is　prolonged　to　a　prodigious　length　in　order

to　〃drain　the　excrement　to　the　last　atom　in　its　manifold　circuits。　The

sheep　has　finely　divided　the　vegetable　matter；　the　grub；　that　incomparable

triturator；　reduces　it　to　the　finest　possible　consistency；　not　a　morsel　is

left　in　which　the　magnifying　glass　can　reveal　a　fibre。〃



To　fulfil　its　hygienic　mission　the　insect　arrives　in　due　season；　and

multiplies　its　legions；　〃there　are　twenty　thousand　eggs　in　the　flanks　of

the　house　fly；　immediately　they　are　hatched　these　twenty　thousand　maggots

set　to　work；　so　that　Linnaeus　has　said　that　three　flies　would　suffice　to

devour　the　body　of　a　horse　or　a　lion。〃



Feeding　only　upon　wheat；　a　single　weevil；　the　Calendar　beetle；　produces　ten

thousand　eggs；　whence　issue　as　many　larvae；　each　of　them　devouring　its

grain。



In　all　species　the　number　of　births　is　at　first　exaggerated；　for　all；　the

obscure；　the　nameless；　the　most　destructive；　our　pests　as　well　as　our　most

precious　helpers；　have　their　utility　and　their　part　to　play　in　the　general

scheme　of　life；　a　raison　d'être　in　the　eternal　renewal　of　things；　which　is

without　reference　to　the　vexatious　or　beneficent　quality　of　their　behaviour

to　us。



Each　has　its　rank　assigned；　each　has　its　task；　to　one　the　flower；　to

another　the　roots；　to　a　third　the　leaves；　the　vine　has　its　caterpillars；

its　beetles；　its　butterflies；　the　clover；　its　moths　and　mites。　（10/6。）



Man　sees　himself　forced　to　submit　to　them；　and　spends　himself　in　vain

efforts　to　carry　on　an　often　useless　campaign。　Nothing　seems　to　affect

them；　neither　drought；　nor　rain；　nor　even　the　severest　cold；　and　the　eggs

and　larvae；　organizations　apparently　delicate　in　the　extreme；　are　often

more　tenacious　of　life　than　the　adults。　Fabre　has　proved　this：　let　the

temperature　suddenly　fall　twenty　degrees：　the　eggs　of　Geotrupes　and　the

larvae　of　the　cockchafer　or　the　rose…beetle　endure　such　vicissitudes　of

temperature　with　impunity；　contracted　and　stiffened　into　little　masses　of

ice；　but　not　destroyed；　they　revive　in　spring　no　less　than　the　eel　fry；　the

rotifers；　or　the　tardigrades。　One　can　scarcely　believe　that　life　still

persists　in　a　state　of　suspense　only　in　these　little　frozen　creatures；

whose　organization　is　already　so　complicated。



Then；　of　a　sudden；　the　ravagers　disappear；　more　often　than　not　none　knows

how　or　why；　deliverance　is　at　hand。　What　indeed　would　become　of　the　world

were　nothing　to　moderate　such　fecundity？



Again；　each　species　has　its　trials　which　appear　in　time　to　moderate　its

surplusage；　and　Fabre　expounds　for　us；　with　a　stern　philosophy；　the

terrible　devices　by　which　this　repression　is　effected。



Each　has　its　appointed　enemy；　which　lives　upon　it　or　its　offspring；　and

which　in　turn　becomes　the　prey　of　some　smaller　creature。　The　gentle　itself；

〃the　king　of　the　dead；〃　has　its　parasites。　While　it　swims　in　the

deliquescence　of　putrefying　flesh　a　minute　Chalcidian　perforates　its　skin

with　an　imperceptible　wound；　and　introduces　its　terrible　eggs；　whence　in

the　future　will　issue　larvae　which　to…morrow　will　devour　the　devourers　of

to…day。



None　exists　save　to　the　detriment　of　others。　Everywhere；　even　in　the

smallest；　we　find　〃an　atrocious　activity；　a　cunning　brigandage；〃　a　savage

extermination；　wh