48 
turn caught by the fishermen who Imow their little weaknesses. 
And every shoal of herrings is pursued ‘by mackerel, codfish, and 
dolphins ; and the unfortunate outsiders are seized, and those who 
crowd for safety in the middlenear the surface are snapped up by 
gannets and gulls. What species of plant or fish could survive if 
each produced only one or two germs. Ourious calculations are 
found in some books on birds concerning the number of caterpillars 
they devour, and the reader is supposed to draw the conclusion that 
the birds are appointed to keep down certain classes of insects 
which otherwise might become a pest to man. But the birds ate 
caterpillars long before man was brought upon the scene. 
The ‘house sparrow has been credited with bringing to the nest 
“forty grubs per hour, making an average. exceeding 3,000 in ‘the 
course of a week” {Wood). A pair of blue titmice have been 
credited with destroying 600 caterpillars daily, ‘‘ being a minimum 
of 15,000 during the few weeks employed in rearing ‘their young. 
Tbid.) 
mos it is all very well perhaps to imagine the sparrow and the 
titmouse to be the appointed scourges of the insect race. But we 
may look at it in two other ways; first, how would these birds fare 
if the insects did not multiply by thousands? and secondly, how 
would the insect race be otherwise preserved under such circum- 
stances ? 
And once again what becomes of the Malthusian increase of 
animals beyond food when in this case the food multiplies in a far 
higher geometrical ratio than the birds? Grant Allen triumph- 
antly remarks “ Aut Malthus aut Diabolus,” to which I can only 
answer ‘‘ Not Malthus.” 
Besides, there is a similar abundance and apparent superfluity 
in other departments; and we must apply the ssme reasoning in 
both cases. Look at the excessive abundance of pollen produced 
by anemophilous plants; we can all see that it is because of the 
multitude of chances against any individual grain reaching the 
stigma. Sir John Lubbock says that with wind-fertilised flowers 
“by far the greater part of the pollen is wasted; and much more 
must therefore be produced than in those cases where the transfer- 
ence is effected by insects.” 
_ Asingle head of dandelion has produced ‘240,000 grains of pollen, 
_ two or three of which would ‘suffice to fertilize each ovule. ‘It 
Se 
has been stated” says Balfour “that-a single plant of Wistaria 
Sinensis produced 5,750,000 stamens, and these, if perfect, would 
contain 27,000,000,000 grains. Im a single flower of Maxillaria 
F. Muller estimated the pollen grains at 34,000,000. ‘This same 
flower produces 1,756,000 seeds.” 
‘Why ? Surely because of the risks against. success. But on 
