CREATION BY LAW. : 278 
produced as if a gardener destroyed the short ones 
and sowed the seed of the long ones only; and this 
we know by experience would produce a regular in- 
crease of length, since it is this very process which 
has increased the size and changed the form of our 
cultivated fruits and flowers. 
But this would lead in time to such an increased 
length of the nectary that many of the moths could 
only just reach the surface of the nectar, and only the 
few with exceptionally long trunks be able to suck up a 
considerable portion. 
This would cause many moths to neglect these flowers 
because they. could not get a satisfying supply of nec- 
tar, and if these were the only moths in the country 
the flowers would undoubtedly suffer, and the further 
growth of the nectary be checked by exactly the same 
process which had led to its increase. But there are 
an immense variety of moths, of various lengths of 
proboscis, and as the nectary became longer, other and 
larger species would become the fertilizers, and would 
carry on the process till the largest moths became 
the sole agents. Now, if not before, the moth would 
also be affected, for those with the longest probosces 
would get most food, would be the strongest and most 
vigorous, would visit and fertilize the greatest number 
of flowers, and would leave the largest number of de- 
scendants. The flowers most completely fertilized by 
these moths being those which had the longest nec- 
taries, there would in each generation be on the average 
an increase in the length of the nectaries, and also 
T 
