Aberrations of Instinct 



exit, which its very abundant store of silk 

 would allow it to do; instead of reerecting 

 on the breach a projecting cone of many lay- 

 ers, to replace the one removed by my scis- 

 sors, it runs up layers of threads that be- 

 come gradually flatter and flatter and form 

 a continuation and not a reconstruction of 

 the missing layers. Moreover, this work 

 of fence-building, the need for which would 

 seem imperious to any reasoning creature, 

 does not appear to preoccupy the caterpillar 

 more than usual, for it keeps on alternating 

 this work with that of the cocoon, which 

 is much less urgent. Everything goes by 

 rote, as though the serious incident of the 

 housebreaking had not occurred. In a 

 word, the caterpillar does not begin all over 

 again a thing once made and then de- 

 stroyed; it continues it. The early stages 

 of the work are lacking; no matter: the 

 sequel follows without any modification in 

 the plans. 



It would be easy for me, if my argument 

 were not already quite clear, to give a host 

 of similar examples showing plainly that 

 the intelligence of the insect is absolutely 

 deficient in rational discernment, even when 

 the great perfection of the work would 

 seem to allow the artisan a certain per- 

 127 



