MUTUAL AID AMONGST ANIMALS. 5 



maintenance of the species and for its further progressive 

 evolution?" The answer of all naturalists who have a direct 

 knowledge of animal life would be " Mutual support." 



In illustration of this position we may take some of the lower 

 animals, such as the burrowing beetle. You may walk into your 

 garden and often see four or five of these beetles assisting one 

 another to bury in the earth some dead animal, in order that 

 they may therein deposit their eggs. They do not fight for suitable 

 places, but assist each other to prepare a place to put their eggs in. 



As another instance from the lower animals we may take the 

 land-crabs, amongst which the same principle applies. At certain 

 seasons of the year these animals may be seen migrating in con- 

 siderable numbers. Though pre\dously scattered about, they must 

 come together before they move in their great migration-colonies. 



Take, again, the so-called king-crab, or Limula. I remember 

 one day at the Brighton Aquarium seeing one of these animals, 

 with its big carapace, overturned and lying upon its back. For 

 two hours I watched with admiration the repeated endeavours of 

 other crabs to overturn it and put it upright. First one and then 

 another came from the bottom to the crab in distress and worked 

 under it, trying to lift it and put it into its proper position. When 

 changing their carapace at certain seasons, the common crabs are 

 defenceless, and Ei'asmus Darwin had already observed how other 

 crabs keep guard around the defenceless one to protect him from 

 other animals which might wound him. The observation has been 

 fully confirmed lately. 



Among many others of the lower animals numbers of such facts 

 will be found to confirm the view of the advantage of mutual support, 

 even amongst the Invertebrata. Amongst the insects there are 

 numberless facts of this nature. Professor Forel has spent much 

 time in the study of the ants of Switzerland, and he has published a 

 wonderful book in which he describes their manner of living, gi^ang 

 facts which seem almost incredible, but which have been confirmed 

 by Sir John Lubbock, who has also devoted much time to the study 

 of the habits and customs of the ants. Above all other animals, 

 except perhaps man, the ants realize the need for common labour. 

 When one ant gets into trouble the others speedily go to its 

 assistance. When one of them makes a mistake in the con- 

 struction of a vault, others go at once and destroy it and make 

 another properly. When any other animal attacks or comes to 

 destroy an ant's nest, all the ants rush to save the larvae. They 

 work together to make those enclosures in which they keep 



