ADAPTATIONS 155 



with a minimum of material. The author just 

 quoted proposed the following problem to a 

 mathematical friend : "To find the construc- 

 tion of a hexagonal prism terminated by a 

 pyramid composed of three equal and similar 

 rhombs, such that the solid may be made of 

 the least quantity of materials." The value as 

 calculated by the bee for it is the problem 

 which that insect had to solve of the angles 

 are 109 28' and 70 32'. The angles found by 

 the mathematician were slightly different from 

 those worked out by the bee. Further ex- 

 amination disclosed the fact that the logarithm 

 book used by the investigator was inaccurate 

 and the angles used by the bee were correct. 

 Or again, consider the case of the insect known 

 as Sphex which lays its eggs near a caterpillar 

 which it has paralysed, but not killed, by 

 puncturing its nerve ganglia a most delicate 

 surgical operation thus providing a supply of 'j 



food for its future offspring. 



Pass to another and higher part of the living 

 world and consider the mysterious movements 

 of eels, only cleared up of quite late years and, Eels 

 as Professor Thomson very rightly says, quite 

 inexplicable on the Machine Theory.* These 

 creatures begin life close to the edge of the 

 500-fathom line to the west of Ireland and after 



* See his Introduction t& Science, p. ISO. 



