136 THE WONDERS OF INSTINCT 



two means are two painful ordeals. A strange linking 

 of cause and effect : from sorrow and wretchedness good 

 is to come. 



And, first, shriveling as the result of cold, the cater- 

 pillars gather together without any order, heap them- 

 selves some on the path, some, more numerous these, 

 outside it. Among the latter there may be, sooner or 

 later, some revolutionary who, scorning the beaten track, 

 will trace out a new road and lead the troop back home. 

 We have just seen an instance of it. Seven penetrated 

 to the interior of the vase and climbed the palm. True, 

 it was an attempt with no result but still an attempt. 

 For complete success, all that need be done would have 

 been to take the opposite slope. An even chance is a 

 great thing. Another time we shall be more successful. 



In the second place, the exhaustion due to fatigue and 

 hunger. A lame one stops, unable to go farther. In 

 front of the defaulter the procession still continues to 

 wend its way for a short time. The ranks close up and 

 an empty space appears. On coming to himself and re- 

 suming the march, the caterpillar who has caused the 

 breach becomes a leader, having nothing before him. 

 The least desire for emancipation is all that he wants to 

 make him launch the band into a new path which perhaps 

 will be the saving path. 



In short, when the Processionaries' train is in difficul- 

 ties, what it needs, unlike ours, is to run off the rails. 

 The side-tracking is left to the caprice of a leader who 

 alone is capable of turning to the right or left; and this 

 leader is absolutely non-existent so long as the ring re- 



