WHITEFISH OF THE LAKE OF GENEVA 



living world, taken as a whole, thus appears as a vast 

 series of ceaseless transformations, continual exchanges 

 of devoured flesh, in which each has its definite place. 

 There is a metempsychosis in this cycle of alimenta- 

 tion; the creature does not become dust until it has 

 transformed its substance into that of other individuals. 



Our eyes can only see the surface of these deep 

 abysses of the seas and lakes, filled with dense water 

 and so gloomy that not a gleam of light penetrates 

 them, so different from the earth which is illumined 

 by the sun's rays, and has only a light covering of air; 

 but the mind of the naturalist, employing the aid of 

 research, can penetrate them, throw light upon their 

 mysteries, and learn their secret. It finds there a 

 profusion of life, a diversity of form, a power of action, 

 which have no equal in our immediate surroundings. 

 There it discovers a law, which is less obvious in our 

 world, though it none the less commands obedience. 

 Despite the apparent paradox of their darkness and 

 remoteness, it is in them that the naturalist comes 

 nearest to the meaning of life, for that meaning 

 evidences itself there more clearly. The abysses have 

 kept their original conditions, which are disguised or 

 not to be discovered elsewhere, and the smallest piece 

 of evidence drawn from their study gives a certainty 

 which could only be secured elsewhere with con- 

 siderable difficulty. 



The living constantly masters the inanimate; living 

 nature exploits inert nature. It ceaselessly returns 

 to it but, equally ceaselessly, it takes from it the 

 substances it needs to form itself, and the forces which 

 it must have if it is to subsist. Moreover, exploiting 

 itself too, it ranges its objects so as to make them use 

 one another for food. It is neither ill-disposed nor 

 indifferent, but arranges all things so as to continue 

 its exploitation and keep itself alive; it considers 

 each of its creatures as a pawn on its huge chess-board, 

 and establishes them all in time and space in conformity 

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