fabre, poet of science-第25章

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CHAPTER　8。　THE　MIRACLE　OF　INSTINCT。



〃The　Spirit　Bloweth　Whither　it　Listeth。〃



What　is　this　instinct；　which　guides　the　insect　to　such　marvellous　results？

Is　it　merely　a　degree　of　intelligence；　or　some　absolutely　different　form　of

activity？



Is　it　possible；　by　studying　the　habits　of　animals；　to　discover　some　of

those　elementary　springs　of　action　whose　knowledge　would　enable　us　to　dive

more　deeply　into　our　own　natures？



Fabre　has　presented　us　to　his　Sphex；　the　〃infallible　paralyser。〃　Are　we　to

credit　her　not　only　with　memory；　but　also　with　the　faculty　of　associating

ideas；　of　judgment；　and　of　pursuing　a　train　of　reasoning　in　respect　of　her

astonishingly　co…ordinated　actions？



Put　to　the　question　by　the　malice　of　the　operator；　the　〃transcendent〃

anatomist　trips　over　a　mere　trifle；　and　the　slightest　novelty　confounds

her。



Without　the　circle　of　her　ordinary　habits；　what　stupidity；　〃what　darkness

wraps　her　round〃！　She　retreats；　she　refuses　to　understand；　〃she　washes　her

eyes；　first　passing　her　hands　across　her　mouth；　she　assumes　a　dreamy；

meditative　air。〃　What　can　she　be　pondering？　Under　what　form　of　thought；

illusion；　or　mirage　does　the　unfamiliar　problem　which　has　obtruded　itself

into　her　customary　life　present　itself　behind　those　faceted　eyes？　（8/1。）



How　can　we　tell？　We　can　only　attain　to　knowledge　of　ourselves　by　direct

intuition。　It　is　only　the　idea　of　our　ego　which　enables　us　to　conjecture

what　is　passing　in　the　brains　of　our　fellows。　Between　the　insect　and

ourselves　no　understanding　is　possible；　so　remote　are　the　analogies　between

its　organization　and　our　own；　and　we　can　only　form　idle　hypotheses　as　to

its　states　of　consciousness　and　the　real　motive　of　its　actions。



Consider　only　that　unknown　and　mysterious　energy　which　the　insects　display

in　their　operations　and　their　labours；　as　it　is　in　itself；　and　let　us

content　ourselves；　first　of　all；　with　comparing　it　to　our　own　intelligence；

such　as　we　conceive　it　to　be。



In　seeking　to　appreciate　whereby　it　differs　perhaps　we　shall　gain　more　than

by　vainly　seeking　points　of　resemblance。　We　shall　discover；　in　fact；　behind

the　insect　and　its　prodigious　instincts；　a　vast　and　remote　horizon；　a

region　at　once　more　profound；　more　extensive；　and　more　fruitful　than　that

of　the　intelligence；　and　if　Fabre　is　able　to　help　us　to　decipher　a　few

pages　of　〃the　most　difficult　of　all　volumes；　the　book　of　ourselves；〃　it　is

precisely；　as　a　philosopher　told　him；　because　〃man　has　remained　instinctive

in　process　of　becoming　intelligent。〃　（8/2。）



The　work　of　Fabre　is　from　this　point　of　view　an　invaluable　treasury　of

observations　and　experiments；　and　the　richest　contribution　which　has　ever

been　made　to　the　study　of　these　fascinating　problems。



〃The　function　of　the　intelligence　is　to　reflect；　to　be　conscious；　that　is；

to　relate　the　effect　to　its　cause；　to　add　a　〃because〃　to　a　〃why〃；　to　remedy

the　accidental；　to　adapt　a　new　course　of　conduct　to　new　circumstances。〃



In　relation　to　the　human　intelligence　thus　defined　Fabre　has　considered

these　nervous　aptitudes；　so　well　adjusted；　according　to　the　evolutionists；

by　ancient　habit；　that　they　have　finally　become　impulsive　and　unconscious；

and；　properly　speaking；　innate。　He　has　demonstrated；　with　an　abundance　of

proof　and　a　power　of　argument　that　we　must　admire；　the　blind　mechanism

which　determines　all　the　manifestations；　even　the　most　extraordinary；　of

that　which　we　call　instinct；　and　which　heredity　has　fixed　in　a　species　of

unchangeable　automatism；　like　the　rhythm　of　the　heart　and　the　lungs。　（8/3。）



Let　us；　from　this　wealth　of　material；　from　among　the　most　suggestive

examples；　select　some　of　his　most　striking　demonstrations；　which　are

classics　of　their　kind。



Fabre　has　not　attempted　to　define　instinct；　for　it　is　indefinable；　nor　to

probe　its　essential　nature；　which　is　impenetrable。　But　to　recognize　the

order　of　nature　is　in　itself　a　sufficiently　fascinating　study；　without

striving　to　crack　an　unbreakable　bone　or　wasting　time　in　pondering

insoluble　enigmas。　The　important　matter　is　to　avoid　the　introduction　of

illusions；　to　beware　of　exceeding　the　data　of　observation　and　experiment；

of　substituting　our　own　inferences　for　the　facts；　of　outstripping　reality

and　amplifying　the　marvellous。



Let　us　listen　to　the　scrupulous　analysis　whose　lessons；　scattered　through

four　thousand　pages；　teach　us　more　concerning　instinct　and　its　innumerable

variations　than　all　the　most　learned　treatises　and　speculations　of　the

philosophers。



Nothing　in　the　world　perplexes　the　mind　of　the　observer　like　the　spectacle

of　the　birth　and　growth　of　the　instincts。



At　precisely　the　right　moment；　just　as　failure　or　disaster　seems

foreordained　by　the　previously　established　circumstances；　Fabre　shows　us

his　insects　as　suddenly　mastered　by　an　irresistible　force。



〃At　the　right　moment〃　they　invincibly　obey　some　sort　of　mysterious　and

inflexible　prescription。　Without　apprenticeship；　they　perform　the　very

actions　required；　and　blindly　accomplish　their　destiny。



Then；　the　moment　having　passed；　the　instincts　〃disappear　and　do　not

reawaken。　A　few　days　more　or　less　modify　the　talents；　and　what　the　young

insect　knew　the　adult　has　often　forgotten。〃　（8/4。）



Among　the　Lycosae；　at　the　moment　of　exodus；　a　sudden　instinct　is　evolved

which　a　few　hours　later　disappears　never　to　return。　It　is　the　climbing

instinct；　unknown　to　the　adult　spider；　and　soon　forgotten　by　the

emancipated　young；　who　are　destined　to　roam　upon　the　face　of　the　earth。　But

the　young　Lycosae；　anxious　to　leave　the　maternal　home　and　to　travel；　become

suddenly　ardent　climbers　and　aeronauts；　each　releasing　a　long；　light　thread

which　serves　it　as　parachute。　The　voyage　accomplished；　no　trace　of　this

ingenuity　is　left。　Suddenly　acquired；　the　climbing　instinct　no　less

suddenly　disappears。　（8/5。）



The　great　historiographer　of　instinct　has　thrown　a　wonderful　light；　by　his

beautiful　experiments　relating　to　the　nidification　of　the　mason…bee；　upon

the　indissoluble　succession　of　its　different　phases；　the　lineal

concatenation；　the　inevitable　and　necessary　order　which　presides　over　each

of　these　nervous　discharges　of　which　the　total　series　constitutes；　properly

speaking；　a　mode　of　action。



The　mason…bee　continues　to　build　upon　the　ready…completed　nest　presented　to

her。　She　obstinately　insists　upon　provisioning　a　cell　already　duly　filled

with　the　quantity　of　honey　required　by　the　larva；　because；　in　this　case　as

in　the　other；　the　impulse　which　incites　her　to　build　or　to　provision　the

nest　has　not　yet　been　exhausted。



On　the　other　hand；　if　we　empty　the　little　cup　of　its　contents　when　she　has

filled　it　she　will　not　recommence　her　labours。　〃The　process　of　provisioning

being　complete；　the　secret　impulse　which　urged　her　to　collect　her　honey　is

no　longer　active。　The　insect　therefore　ceases　to　store　her　honey；　and；　in

spite　of　this　accident；　lays　her　egg　in　the　empty　cell；　thus　leaving　the

future　nursling　without　nourishment。〃　（8/6。）



In　the　case　of　the　Pelopaeus；　Fabre　calls　our　attention　to　one　of　the　most

instructive　physiological　spectacles　that　can　be　imagined。



While　the　mason…bee　does　not　notice　that　her　cell　has　been　emptied；　the

Pelopaeus　cannot　perceive　that　the　tricks　of　the　experimenter　have　resulted

in　the　disappearance　of　her　progeny；　and　she　〃continues　to　store　away

spiders　for　a　germ　that　no　longer　exists；　she　perseveres　untiringly　in　her

useless　hunting；　as　though　the　future　of　her　larva　depended　on　it；　she

amasses　provisions　which　will　feed　no　one；　more；　she　pushes　aberration　to

the　extent　of　plastering　even　the　place　where　her　nest　was　if　we　remove　it；

giving　the　last　strokes　of　the　trowel　to　an　imaginary　building；　and　putting

her　seals　upon　empty　nothing。〃　（8/7。）



》From　these　facts；　and　others；　no　less　celebrated；　which　show　〃the　inability

of　insects　to　escape　from　the　routine　of　their　customs　and　their　habitual

labours；〃　Fabre