\ 
1807.] 
or by the recollection of a past sensation, 
or by the fear or hope of a future 
sensation, whether these sensations be 
external or internal, the state of the 
question is not changed. 
It seems, however, that a dread of 
acquiescing iv any of the ‘se three theories 
has operated on M. Dupont to reject 
indiscriminately every species of instinct. 
He begins, by shewing, that the ac- 
tions of animals belouving to the supe- 
rior order as qnadrupeds and birds, 
result merely from a combination of 
their experience and their physical fa- 
culties, in which opimion all naturalists 
concur, 
He next endeavours to explain physi- 
cally how these animals, and even chil- 
dren themselves, learn to suck ; .he shews 
that several species have the power of 
emitting sounds suihciently numereus to 
form a very complicated language; and 
he assures.us, from: his own observation, 
that they employ some of these sounds 
under circumstances so extremely simi- 
lar, that it is impossible to doubt but 
they attach to them a determinate and 
fixed signification, His observations on 
this part of his subject are extremely 
interesting, and well calculated, accor 
ding to M. Cuvier, to enrich the natural 
history ofthese species. 
He also endeavours to prove, that the 
species can bring their modes of opera- 
tion to the yvreatest perfection, under 
certain circumistauces ; but here, per- 
haps, naturalists may accuse him of ha- 
ving made a comparison between the 
intelligence ofspecies somewhat different. 
Thus, for example, the beaver of North 
America is not entirely similar to the 
beaver of the Rhone, nor is the social 
spider of Paraguay of the same species 
as our solitary spider. 
We conceive, from the foregoing ob- 
servations, that M. Dapont will find the 
greatest difficulty im explaining how 
insects have learned the astonishing pre- 
cautions with which they prepare proper 
shelter and nourishment for the eggs 
which they and others are about to 
deposit, and the worms which are to 
proceed from them, though they have 
hever seen either an egg or a sirilar 
worm, and though the wants of the worm 
have no relation with those of the insect 
that labours for its preservation. 
Among a multitude of examples, which 
might be quoted, M. Dupont has confined 
himself to one. It relates to the sagacity 
of a species of wasp, termed by him 
Fausse guepe solitaire, of which he gives 
‘the following account :-— 
Proceedings of Learned Societies, 4§9 
During the life of the perfect animal, 
it feeds on Howers; but when about to 
deposit its eggs, it digs in argillaceous 
sand a cylindrical hole, at the bottoua 
of which it lays an egg, and afterwards 
searches on the commou garden cabbage 
for a smail green caterpillar, on which it 
never preys at any other period of its 
existence. ‘Tle wasp punctures this 
caterpiilar with its sting, in such a man- 
ner, as to wedken it, so that it cannot 
resist the attacks of the worm, which, 
in due time, escapes from the eye, and 
devours it: besides, were the wasp to 
employ such a force as to kill the reptile, 
it woald cor:upt, and thus be rendered 
unfit to serve as nourishment to the 
worm. ‘This sagacious insect next pra- 
ceeds to roll up its prey in a circular 
form, and ee she it carefully in the hole 
near the egg, after which it renews its 
search, until it hae collected eleven other 
caterpillars, which it treats in the same 
manner: it then carefully closes the hole 
aud dies.» ~~ 
Immediately on being hatched, and 
escaping trom the egg, the little green 
worm devours successively the twelve 
caterpillars, prepared for its support, aud 
afterwards becoming metamorphosed inte 
a wasp deserts its subterranean dwelling, 
flying from flowerto flower, and giving 
itself up to love, until the season arrives 
for depositing its eggs, when it performs 
precisely the same operations as the 
parent wasp, and on the very same species 
of caterpillar. 
MM. Dupont de Nemours, in order to 
explain this extraordinary fact, is olliged 
to suppose, that the wasp, or perfect 1 in- 
sect, retains a recollection'of the sen- 
sations it experienced during its con- 
tinaance in the worm state, though the 
form of its organs be entirely changed. 
It is evident, however, that he must also 
suppose, ‘though it be not expressly mens 
tioned, that the wasp can recognize, by 
sight, ‘the cater pillar, and sand, which 
it could only know by: the touch, while 
in the worm state, since it is then blind: 
it besides never leaves its subterranean 
dwelling, until it has become changed 
into the insect state, and before this pe- 
riod the oon piles: are wholly devoured. 
In fine, as M. Dupont ventures not to 
suppose that the wasp can foresee that 
the egg, which it lays, will become a 
worm, and require the: different ope- 
rations which it performs on its account, 
he persuades Intnself, that all these are: 
done merely to amuse itself, hy imitating 
what it had seen daring its first existence, 
( a » be continued. 
REPORT 
