i62 INSFXTS AND HEREDITY 



Eimer is even more rash in his statements : — ' This is 

 one of the most marvellous instincts that exist ; since 

 the wasp operates on various larvae with nervous systems 

 of \'arious forms, she must effect the paralysis in various 

 ways, and even apart from this, she makes a j^hysiolooical 

 experiment which is far in advance of the knowledge 

 of man. ... It may be sui^^ested that the wasp only 

 paral)sed the larvae in order to carry them more easily ; 

 but even if this were the case, she must, since she now 

 invariabl)' acts in this way, have drawn a conclusion by 

 deductive reasoniui^. In this case it is absolutely impos- 

 sible that the animal has arrived at its habit otherwise 

 than b)' reflection upon the facts of experience.' 



Mr. and Mrs. Peckham make the followinir comment 

 upon diis wild passage from Eimer : — ' One can hardly 

 be expected to take such statenients seriously, since it is 

 certain that the writer has no knowledge of the life 

 histories of these insects.' ' 



III. Thirdly, there are those who believe that the 

 instincts in cjuestion are to be explained by the operation 

 of Natural Selection upon hereditary nervous mechanisms, 

 who believe that the Lamarckian [)rinciple of the heredi- 

 tar\' transmission of education has never come into the 

 histor)' at any stage. Fabre's observations are quite 

 consistent with this view ; in fact it would almost appear 

 that Darwinian evolution as apart from Lamarckian 

 evolution is really unknown to this great naturalist. He 

 seems invariabl)' to strike Lamarck when he aims at 

 Darwin. In this, however, he is only acting in the same 

 manner as the majority of the early critics of the On'i^inr 



In attem[jting to decide upon the past history of these 

 insects the lirst necessity is to be sure of the facts. 

 Fortunately the ground has been re-traversed by Mr. 

 and Mrs. Peckham, so that we can comimre the observa- 

 tions of great and keen naturalists in two hemispheres. 



^ 7Vi(- Instincts iind Habits of the Solitary Wasps, by George W. and 

 Elizabeth G. Peckham, Madison, Wis., 1898, p. 221. 



^ Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. ///>/., vol. xxvi, 1895, pp. 377-9 (pp. 102-4 

 of this volume). See also Pouhon, Charles Darwin and the Theory of 

 Natural Selection. London, 1896, chapters xix, xx, pp. 144-60. 



