396 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



tion. Misrepresenting it as Professor Birks misrepresents it, another 

 writer had before him similarly based on his misrepresentation sundry- 

 animadversions. Though still regarding the statement I had actually 

 made (not the one ascribed to me) as valid, I concluded that it would 

 be best to remove the stumbling-block out of the way of future read- 

 ers, and therefore decided to replace the illustration by another. The 

 rest of the chapter remains exactly as it was, and its argument is 

 not in the remotest degree affected by the substitution. Neverthe- 

 less, Professor Birks, wrongly describing the nature of the illustra- 

 tion, and wrongly attributing the removal of the illustration to change 

 in my belief, also wrongly conveys the impression that the doctrine 

 which the illustration contained had some vital connection with the 

 general argument of the chapter and with the doctrine of the work ; 

 and by conveying this impression calls forth exultation from religious 

 periodicals. 



Were I to deal with Professor Birks's book page by page, a much 

 larger book than his would be required to expose his misstatements, 

 perversions, confusions. The above examples must suffice. I will add 

 only that in one belief of his I cordially agree with him. At the 

 close of his preface he says, "I think that those who take the pains 

 to read my strictures, and compare them with the statements of the 

 work to which they are a reply, will find the effort repaid by a clearer 

 apprehension of the topics in debate." And I venture to join with 

 this the expression of my belief that if readers follow Professor 

 Birks's tacit suggestion, " a clearer apprehension of the topics in 

 debate " will not result from acceptance of his criticisms. 



-- 



LUBBOCK ON" INSECT CONSEEYATISM. 



SIR JOHN LUBBOCK will certainly earn the praise of accumulat- 

 ing more facts upon which we may found reasonable inferences 

 as to the intellectual character of the ant, than all his acute predeces- 

 sors in the same field put together. And his latest published observa- 

 tions on the subject, communicated to the Linnsean Society, and printed 

 in their " Transactions," contain some of his most interesting results. 

 These results we should describe generally as showing that the ants 

 display, first, a preternaturally keen sense of consanguinity ; next, a 

 good deal of that narrow conservatism which is so often the result of 

 too much belief in the family and too little receptivity for the ideas of 

 the external world ; in the third place, a thorough distrust of revolu- 

 tion, so that they are almost equally afraid of establishing a new 

 dynasty and of destroying an old one ; and, finally, a good deal of the 

 skepticism which narrow conservatism inevitably engenders toward all 



