446 PHENOMENA OF ORGANIC NATURE xi 



there are to prey upon the larvae of the bees the 

 cats are therefore the INDIRECT HELPERS of the 

 bees. 1 Coming back a step farther we may say 

 that the old maids are also indirect friends of the 

 humble bees, and indirect enemies of the field 

 mice, as they keep the cats which eat up the 

 latter ! This is an illustration somewhat beneath 

 the dignity of the subject, perhaps, but it occurs 

 to me in passing, and with it I will conclude this 

 lecture. 



1 The humble bees, on the other hand, are direct helpers of 

 some plants, such as the heartsease and red clover, which are 

 fertilised by the visits of the bees ; and they are indirect helpers 

 of the numerous insects which are more or less completely sup 

 ported by the heartsease and red clover. 



