PHILOSOPHY OF LOVE 



mals, and that its genius is only the sum of intellectual 

 acquisition slowly crystallized in the specie. 1 As for 

 the mechanism of this transformation of intelligence into 

 instinct, it has for motive the principle of utility; intelli- 

 gent acts which are useful for the preservation of the 

 specie, are the only ones which pass into instinct. 



The science of these hymenoptera goes so far that it 

 was ahead of human science until yesterday. The insect 

 attacks the nervous system; it knows that the power of 

 beginning a movement lies in the nervous system and not 

 in the limbs. If the nervous system is centralized as in 

 weevils, their enemy the cerceris gives only one dagger- 

 stab; if the movement depends on three ganglia, it gives 

 three stabs; if on nine ganglia, nine: thus does the shaggy 

 ammophile when it needs the caterpillar of the noctuelle, 

 commonly called the gray worm, for its larvae; if a 

 single sting in the cervical ganglion appears too dangerous, 

 the hunter limits himself to chewing it gently, in order 

 to induce the necessary degree of immobility. It is odd 

 that the social hymenoptera who know how to do so 

 many difficult things, are ignorant of this savant dagger- 

 play. The bee stings at random, and so brutally that 

 she mutilates herself while often inflicting but an insig- 

 nificant wound on her adversary. Collective civilization 

 has diminished the individual genius. 



1 Vide translator's postscript. 



193 



