A MASON-WASP 57 



She sets out on a second trip. I take advantage of her absence 

 to remove with my tweezers from the bottom of the cell 

 both the dead Spider and the egg. 



The disappearance of the egg must be discovered by the 

 Wasp, one would think, if she possesses the least gleam of 

 intelligence. The egg is small, it is true, but it lies on a com- 

 paratively large object, the Spider. What will the Wasp 

 do when she finds the cell empty ? Will she act sensibly, 

 and repair her loss by laying a second egg ? Not at all ; 

 she behaves most absurdly. 



What she does is to bring a second Spider, which she 

 stores away with as much cheerful zeal as if nothing unfor- 

 tunate had occurred. She brings a third and a fourth, 

 and still others, each of whom I remove during her absence ; 

 so that every time she returns from the chase the storeroom 

 is found empty. I have seen her persist obstinately for two 

 days in seeking to fill the insatiable jar, while my patience in 

 emptying it was equally unflagging. With the twentieth 

 victim possibly owing to the fatigue of so many journeys 

 the huntress considered that the pot was sufficiently supplied, 

 and began most carefully to close the cell that contained 

 absolutely nothing. 



The intelligence of insects is limited everywhere in this 

 way. The accidental difficulty which one insect is power- 

 less to overcome, any other, no matter what its species, will 

 be equally unable to cope with. I could give a host of similar 

 examples to show that insects are absolutely without reason- 

 ing power, notwithstanding the wonderful perfection of their 

 work. A long series of experiments has forced me to con- 

 clude that they are neither free nor conscious in their in- 

 dustry. They build, weave, hunt, stab, and paralyse their 

 prey, in the same way as they digest their food, or secrete 

 the poison of their sting, without the least understanding of 

 the means or the end. They are, I am convinced, completely 

 ignorant of their own wonderful talents. 



Their instinct cannot be changed. Experience does not 



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