42 THE HUMANIZING OP THE BRUTE. 



in neither served as food for larvae. What of that? 

 Cerceris had given the sting that was enough. At 

 another time a nest, one of the cells of which was not 

 entirely provisioned, was destroyed at evening. On 

 the next morning Cerceris brought a newly stung bee 

 and placed it in the hole. On the following day she 

 came agaia charged with prey and dropped her bee 

 which rolled to the bottom of the excavation. She had 

 not brought the full number for provisioning the nest. 

 Instinct commanded her to bring them, and she obey- 

 ed but not knowing where to put them, let them fall. " l ) 



From such instances we must conclude that instinc- 

 tive actions as such are never connected with con- 

 sciousness of final tendency. For these cases of in- 

 appropriateness do not occur only now and then, but 

 may be occasioned in any kind of instinctive actions. 

 They cannot be the result of a misleading reflection 

 or of an erroneous judgment influenced by will power, 

 or by the appearance of truth; for of this there can be 

 no question in actions so stupid, useless, and often in- 

 jurious. 



') I.e., p. 219-220. 



