442 CELL INTELLIGENCE THE CAUSE OF EVOLUTION 



the Venus fly-trap, and others, understand how to make 

 an elaborate fly tray and into this they entice and cap- 

 ture insects for food. They are not in need of this food 

 because they understand how to make food from the raw 

 material of earth, air and water by the aid of sunlight in 

 the same manner as other plant cells. The fly trap could 

 not have arisen or come to be by any beneficial variation 

 because it could be of no benefit until completed as a fly 

 trap, and the catching of flies and insects is a mere sport 

 and not a necessity. The whole scheme must have been 

 conceived, planned and discussed and experimented with 

 in this cell colony for a long time before they got it into 

 a working condition. No chance variation known as bene- 

 ficial variation could have possibly produced it. The idea 

 of catching insects must have existed in the minds of the 

 builders before they began to prepare and construct these 

 fly traps. The idea must come before the structure in all 

 productions of art by man, and it must have been the 

 same in this case with the cells producing the fly traps. 

 The methods used by other moving and sensitive plants 

 like those that sleep and climb, are similar to the methods 

 used by animals. The climbing plants attach themselves 

 by grasping hooks and suckers, and direct the several 

 movements by which they feel around for supports with 

 a purpose and end in view similar to other animals ; with 

 the aim in view of climbing up into the sunlight they 

 take advantage of the principles of engineering. The 

 schemes of plants for catching insects, however, are more 

 readily comprehended and recognized by man as intelli- 

 gent because they are similar to his own. The tricks of 

 the professional trapper and hunter are recognized in the 

 actions of the insect catching plants and these actions 

 show an intellect and skill similar to those of the trapper. 

 The acts of capturing insects are the same as those of the 



