624 



THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



S 



a 



ligence. 



of muscle, and the feeble working of its diminutive 

 brain — limited apparently to the stirring up, through 

 rough and gross sensual perceptions, of a turbid con- 

 sciousness, which the accumulation of even years of 

 experience can hardly mould into anything like Intel- 

 Even in performing that duty which gene- 

 rally calls forth the highest cerebral activity, viz, the 

 care of the young, the greatest effort of the fish is 

 perhaps to construct a nest of the rudest kind.' But, 

 ' Turning from these cold and flabby creatures to the 

 gifted bee, and meditating on its bright and varied 

 life — on those wonderful exhibitions of its power and 

 skill which never fail to excite the admiration of 

 mankind, and on its finely -wrought and compact 



^ Art. on ' Higher and Lower Animals/ Oct. 1869, p. 383- 



fl 



\ 



Most of us are apt complacently to regard ourselve 

 as representatives of the highest type of life : and to 

 certain extent this is true. Although it is often exceed- 

 ingly difficult, and in some cases impossible, to decide 



r 



which is the higher and which is the lower of two 

 forms of life whose type is different. Supposing, for 

 instance, a question should arise as to the relative 

 superiority of the fish and the insect j our thoughts may 

 quite legitimately take the directions recently indicated 

 by an able writer in the 'Quarterly Review,' who 

 says 1 : — 'On the one hand we may ponder over the 

 dreary simplicity of a fish's life, the monotony of its 

 daily swim, the low character and even small amount 

 of nervous energy required to move its uniform masses ^ Btkr than of 



tedly be le 

 fflimal than the 



If we were ti 

 \ to look at 



J 



ke long-live 



gh many 



disputes at 



te, from the ■ 



a 



er part nor 

 to fix the rank 

 H by the n 



^'«"re was en' 



^ "'«^ by itsen 



