194 THE CONTROL OF LIFE 



shells would be eight times the size of our Earth. " Which 

 is absurd," as EucHd used to say — when (according to 

 Samuel Butler) he was tired of arguing. 



This great fertihty is an obviously effective solution 

 of the problem of survival — ^the spawning solution. It 

 is not without its good points, for it may enable the 

 creature — say, fish or frog — ^to concentrate the busi- 

 ness of multiphcation into a short period of the year. 

 It may also enable the creature to dispense with the 

 embarrassment of parental care. With a family of a 

 million, there is considerable margin for accidents, and 

 nursing is gratuitous. 



There are disadvantages, however, to the spawning 

 solution. We need not refer to what is often called 

 the enormous wastage of young life, for it is difficult 

 to explain what wastage means in the case of an ani- 

 mal like the herring, and it is certainly not wastage 

 in relation to the broad economy of nature, which is 

 to such a large extent a chain of incarnations. What 

 does seem a disadvantage, however, is the exhaustion 

 of the parent, notably of the mother, when large num- 

 bers are produced at once. Butterflies usually die 

 after egg-laying ; so do marine lampreys after spawn- 

 ing ; and the same is probably true of eels. Death is 

 often the nemesis of launching new hves. 



The other line of solution is economised reproduc- 

 tion in both sexes, and this is associated with parental 

 care — ^with giving the offspring a really good start. 

 The young creature must be launched well equipped, 

 and this takes time and energy. The offspring must 



