THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE 41 



divergent species and families, presumably affectionate 

 parents in the free state, should, as the mere effect 

 of confinement, develop all at once a craving to devour 

 their offspring. 



" But is it possible to believe that the mere fact of 

 being confined should all at once radically change the 

 ingrained habits and nature of so many and various 

 wild species ? Besides, how should the males only 

 be thus affected by confinement, while the females 

 retain the same love of their offspring in confinement 

 as in the free state ? 



" In every way, you must grant that the instinct of 

 the males of the groups I have mentioned has great 

 significance to students of natural history, and still 

 greater significance to the followers of Darwin. Yet 

 I have never met a naturalist or a believer in Natural 

 Selection, who was cognisant of the facts imparted to 

 me by Mr. Bartlett. One might almost imagine, if 

 it were not absurd to do so, that there existed a con- 

 spiracy of silence to prevent the most significant set of 

 phenomena in the Zoological Gardens from leaking out." 



" But," said my interlocutor, " you don't believe that 

 there is, or ever was, such a conspiracy ? " 



" The idea is absurd," I replied ; " but it is curious 

 that Mr. Bartlett, from whom I received my information, 

 never in his various publications made mention of it, 

 even when it seemed difficult to avoid doing so. 

 Let me read you a passage from his Wild Animals in 

 Captivity : ' The male wolf, when confined with the 

 female who has young, appears to take an active 



