588 DISHARMONIES AND OTHER SHADOWS 



hunger suffer much; the popular idea of the struggle for 

 existence entailing misery and pain on the animal world 

 is the reverse of the truth." Similarly Darwin concludes his 

 chapter on the " Struggle for Existence " with the sentence : 

 " When we reflect on the struggle, we may console ourselves 

 with the full belief that the war of nature is not incessant, 

 that no fear is felt, that death is generally prompt, and 

 the vigorous, the healthy, and the happy survive and 

 multiply." 



We must beware of anthropomorphic exaggeration, but we 

 must also beware of commonplace inaccuracy. The death- 

 crisis of a mouse killed by a rattlesnake was 13 seconds; 

 the death-crisis of a thrush killed by a golden eagle was less 

 than half that. 



We frankly admit, however, that for some reason or 

 other many of the forms of life are weird and fantastic 

 creations, and there is often more than a hint of the 

 " wildness " of which Prof. William James spoke. The 

 solitary wasp Philanthus, known as the bee-eater, catches 

 bees and after giving the victim a knock-out blow beneath 

 the chin and paralysing it, proceeds to knead its anterior 

 body, squeezing out the honey from the crop and enjoying 

 the grim meal. But if instead of turning away repelled we 

 follow the Philanthus, we find that the body of the bee 

 is used as provender for the larvae whose hatching the 

 Philanthus does not survive to see. We may rest satisfied 

 with this without following the famous entomologist who 

 has told us that the kneading operation which squeezes the 

 honey out is not so much for the parent's immediate 

 gratification as to prevent the larva from having stomach- 

 ache. 



