104 



THE RISE OF ANIMAL LIFE 



astic laymen wanted it spread from air- 

 planes over wide swamp areas in order to 

 destroy mosquitoes as well as other insects 

 that have mostly a nuisance value. If our 

 practical zoologists had not prevented that 

 procedure, the damage might have been 

 so tremendous that it would have taken 

 several generations and perhaps many mil- 

 lions of dollars to repair. Think of the de- 

 struction to honeybees as one example. 

 Besides destroying them as a source of 



honey, there would be untold damage to 

 orchards due to unpollenated flowers. 

 Birds, amphibians, and reptiles feed largely 

 on insects, to say nothing of the aquatic 

 life that subsists on these very numerous 

 little animals. We can tamper with the 

 environment only in small areas for specific 

 purposes; any large-scale operation must 

 be carried out with utmost caution so that 

 the balanced plan of the community of 

 animals is not disturbed. 



