The Life of the Bee 
in so admirable a fashion must proceed 
directly from what we elsewhere call nature. 
We are no longer concerned with the intel- 
lect of the individual; here we find the 
unconscious, undivided force in the act of 
ensnaring other forms of itself. Shall we 
on that account refuse to believe that these 
snares are pure accidents, occurring in 
accordance with a routine that is also inci- 
dental? We are not yet entitled to such a 
deduction. It might be urged that, had 
these miraculous combinations not been, 
these flowers would not have survived, 
but would have had their place filled by 
others that stood in no need of crossed 
fertilisation; and the non-existence of 
the first would have been perceived by 
none, nor would the life that vibrates 
on the earth have seemed less incom- 
prehensible to us, less diverse, or less 
astounding. 
And yet it would be difficult not to admit 
that acts which bear all the appearance of 
acts of intelligence and prudence produce and 
support these fortunate chances. Whence 
do they issue? from the being itself, or from 
234 
