INSTINCTIVE, EMOTIONAL AND REFLEX ACTION 351 



caterpillar. After having made that discovery, he saw 

 the advantage of paralyzing the caterpillar in that way, 

 so that his young would be provided with fresh food. 

 But, you will say, how can the wasp know or learn this 

 method of partly killing the caterpillar, when he has 

 never seen it done, or ever received any instructions. 

 There are only a few microscopic spots that must be 

 punctured, while there are a million other places to punc- 

 ture, where it would not be effective. How can he know 

 the right spot, not having ever seen a caterpillar before? 

 The answer is very simple. The builders of this flying 

 structure, the wasp, have provided it with tools, and to 

 think that they would not know how to use them would 

 be a foolish idea. The cells that built the wasp had the 

 experience of ages fixed in their memory. They had 

 been practising the dagger thrusts while in other wasps 

 before him, for centuries. Every movement and thrust 

 of the dagger on previous occasions would be fresh in 

 their memory. The wasp is but a flying machine with 

 tools to affect these several actions. The cells have made 

 the machine and the tools and they know how to use 

 them. 



Let us now consider the pitcher-plant of Borneo, that 

 has trouble with a species of ape called the lemur who 

 steals the insects from his trap. This plant, who is of 

 an inventive turn of mind anyway, soon discovered or 

 conceived some scheme to prevent the ape's stealing the 

 insects from its trap. The fly trap itself is a wonderful 

 invention. It is a most perfect and scientific arrangement 

 to effect a certain purpose ; however, you know that the 

 plant itself could not build these things, any more than 

 a house could build an addition to itself. 



The builders and occupants must be given credit for 

 the means and the intelligence evidenced by these in- 



