The Life of the Caterpillar 



which fathoms the universe, cannot prevent a 

 wretched worm from levying its toll on the 

 delicious fruit. We make ourselves at home 

 in a cabbage-bed: the sons of the Pieris make 

 themselves at home there too. Preferring 

 broccoli to wild radish, they profit where we 

 have profited; and we have no remedy against 

 their competition save caterpillar-raids and 

 egg-crushing, a thankless, tedious and none 

 too efficacious work. 



Every creature has its claims on life. The 

 Cabbage-caterpillar eagerly puts forth his 

 own, so much so that the cultivation of the 

 precious plant would be endangered if others 

 concerned did not take part in its defence. 

 These others are the auxiliaries, 1 our helpers 

 from necessity and not from sympathy. The 

 words friend and foe, auxiliaries and ravagers 

 are here the mere conventions of a language 

 not always adapted to render the exact truth. 

 He is our foe who eats or attacks our crops; 

 our friend is he who feeds upon our foes. 

 Everything is reduced to a frenzied contest 

 of appetites. 



1 The author employs this word to denote the insects 

 that are helpful, while describing as "ravagers" the in- 

 sects that are hurtful to the farmer's crops. Trans- 

 lator's Note. 



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