26 THE WONDER OF LIFE 



in the female. There is much actual evidence that the 

 repulsive odour protects the butterflies from insect-eating 

 enemies. Dr. P. A. Dixey notices that many of them are 

 conspicuous, slowly-flying forms, given to courting obser- 

 vation rather than to avoiding it. They trust to their 

 repulsiveness. 



' Moreover since it is well recognized that the preservation 

 of the hfe of the female is more important than that of the 

 male for the weKare of the species, we should expect that 

 if there is a difference between the sexes in the intensity of 

 the odour, that difference would be in favour of the female. 

 This, again, is borne out by observation in a number of 

 cases. Where both sexes are repulsive, the female, as a 

 rule, is the more repulsive of the two, and therefore (as a 

 consolation) the safer from attack.' 



Many Inventions. — In the higher reaches of the animal 

 kingdom we find examples of deliberate device — the cat 

 watches for the mouse, or the fox for the rabbit, the ele- 

 phant bides his time and has his revenge after many days, 

 the wolves encircle their victim and close in upon him ; 

 wits are pitted against wits in the battle of hfe. At lower 

 reaches we find instinctive inventions which work exira- 

 ordinarily well, but which do not seem to require any 

 deliberate control. It is possible that they are suffused 

 with awareness, but their eflS.cient performance depends 

 on the inherited organization of the nervous system. The 

 insect ' feigning death ' is certainly not consciously trying 

 to efface itself ; the crab that covers itself with a disguise 

 of foreign objects is not clear as to its own device (we 

 shall discuss the case later on), for it has been known to 

 put on a transparent cloak with which the experimenter 

 provided it. In many cases, doubtless, intellectual pro- 



