THROUGH THE YEAR 109 



actions of wild creatures. Here and there one 

 does seem to light on an exception a bee or a bird 

 is found doing something startlingly wise or unusual 

 in bee or bird. A willow warbler, say, covers up 

 her nest with bits of dead grass to shelter her young 

 from the sun or from observation. Yet only 

 watch long and close enough, and I suspect other 

 Jjirds of the same species may be found acting 

 likewise. 



The startling exception commonly turns out to 

 be nothing but the rule of the species. Nature 

 never takes a leap within the wild species watched. 

 Of course it may be the leaps are too small for us 

 to notice. Our senses may be over gross to mark 

 the fine fluctuation, the minute, important difference 

 between individual willow wrens, bees, spiders, 

 caterpillars, chrysalids. Who indeed could set up to 

 adjudicate between the intelligence in one house fly 

 and the intelligence in another ? The shepherd, 

 it is said, sees differences between the sheep in his 

 flock far too subtle for the eye and mind not devoted 

 to sheep. In the same way, it might be argued, we 

 sometimes crudely judge men and women ; talk of 

 the gross herd or mob as if one of its individuals were 

 no greater and no meaner than another, whereas, to a 

 deep thinker and judge of character there is no 

 common herd and no average man or woman, 

 infinite variations and distinctions in mind and 

 character existing in any crowd of human beings, 

 whether of rich or poor, high class or so-called vulgar. 



So we know there is no dead level of mind and 



