fabre, poet of science-第33章

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In　the　republic　of　the　wasps　〃the　grubs　recognized　as　incurable　are

pitilessly　torn　from　their　place　and　dragged　out　of　the　nest。　Woe　to　the

sick！　they　are　helpless　and　at　once　expelled。〃



When　the　winter　comes　all　the　larvae　are　massacred；　and　the　whole　vespine

city　ends　in　a　horrible　tragedy。



But　life　is　a　whole；　and　all　conduct　is　good　whose　actions　realize　an

object　and　are　adapted　to　an　end。　If　there　is　a　〃spirit〃　of　the　hive；　the

insect　also　has　its　morality　and　the　wasp's　nest　its　〃law；〃　and　the　conduct

of　its　inmates；　horrible　though　it　may　seem　to　Fabre；　is　doubtless　only　a

submission　to　certain　exigencies　of　that　universal　law　which　makes　nature　a

〃savage　foster…mother　who　knows　nothing　of　pity。〃



These　cruelties　particularly　show　us　that　one　of　the　functions　of　the

insect　in　nature　is　to　preside　over　the　disappearance　and　also　the　ultimate

metamorphoses　of　the　least　〃remnants　of　life。〃



Each　has　its　providential　hygienic　function。



The　Necrophori；　〃the　first　of　the　tiny　scavengers　of　the　fields；〃　bury

corpses　in　order　to　establish　their　progeny　in　them；　in　the　space　of　a　few

hours　an　enormous　body；　a　mole；　a　water…rat；　or　an　adder；　will　completely

disappear；　buried　under　the　earth。



The　Onthophagi　purify　the　soil；　〃dividing　all　filth　into　tiny　crumbs；

ridding　the　earth　of　its　defilements。〃



A　very　small　beetle；　the　Trox；　has　the　imprescriptible　mission　of　purging

the　earth　of　the　rabbits'　fur　rejected　by　the　fox。　（10/5。）



Here　structure　explains　the　function。



The　intestine　of　the　grub　of　the　rose…beetle　〃is　a　veritable　triturating

mill；　which　transforms　vegetable　matter　into　mould；　in　a　month　it　will

digest　a　volume　of　matter　equal　to　several　thousand　times　the　initial

volume　of　the　grub。〃



The　intestine　of　the　Scarabaei　is　prolonged　to　a　prodigious　length　in　order

to　〃drain　the　excrement　to　the　last　atom　in　its　manifold　circuits。　The

sheep　has　finely　divided　the　vegetable　matter；　the　grub；　that　incomparable

triturator；　reduces　it　to　the　finest　possible　consistency；　not　a　morsel　is

left　in　which　the　magnifying　glass　can　reveal　a　fibre。〃



To　fulfil　its　hygienic　mission　the　insect　arrives　in　due　season；　and

multiplies　its　legions；　〃there　are　twenty　thousand　eggs　in　the　flanks　of

the　house　fly；　immediately　they　are　hatched　these　twenty　thousand　maggots

set　to　work；　so　that　Linnaeus　has　said　that　three　flies　would　suffice　to

devour　the　body　of　a　horse　or　a　lion。〃



Feeding　only　upon　wheat；　a　single　weevil；　the　Calendar　beetle；　produces　ten

thousand　eggs；　whence　issue　as　many　larvae；　each　of　them　devouring　its

grain。



In　all　species　the　number　of　births　is　at　first　exaggerated；　for　all；　the

obscure；　the　nameless；　the　most　destructive；　our　pests　as　well　as　our　most

precious　helpers；　have　their　utility　and　their　part　to　play　in　the　general

scheme　of　life；　a　raison　d'être　in　the　eternal　renewal　of　things；　which　is

without　reference　to　the　vexatious　or　beneficent　quality　of　their　behaviour

to　us。



Each　has　its　rank　assigned；　each　has　its　task；　to　one　the　flower；　to

another　the　roots；　to　a　third　the　leaves；　the　vine　has　its　caterpillars；

its　beetles；　its　butterflies；　the　clover；　its　moths　and　mites。　（10/6。）



Man　sees　himself　forced　to　submit　to　them；　and　spends　himself　in　vain

efforts　to　carry　on　an　often　useless　campaign。　Nothing　seems　to　affect

them；　neither　drought；　nor　rain；　nor　even　the　severest　cold；　and　the　eggs

and　larvae；　organizations　apparently　delicate　in　the　extreme；　are　often

more　tenacious　of　life　than　the　adults。　Fabre　has　proved　this：　let　the

temperature　suddenly　fall　twenty　degrees：　the　eggs　of　Geotrupes　and　the

larvae　of　the　cockchafer　or　the　rose…beetle　endure　such　vicissitudes　of

temperature　with　impunity；　contracted　and　stiffened　into　little　masses　of

ice；　but　not　destroyed；　they　revive　in　spring　no　less　than　the　eel　fry；　the

rotifers；　or　the　tardigrades。　One　can　scarcely　believe　that　life　still

persists　in　a　state　of　suspense　only　in　these　little　frozen　creatures；

whose　organization　is　already　so　complicated。



Then；　of　a　sudden；　the　ravagers　disappear；　more　often　than　not　none　knows

how　or　why；　deliverance　is　at　hand。　What　indeed　would　become　of　the　world

were　nothing　to　moderate　such　fecundity？



Again；　each　species　has　its　trials　which　appear　in　time　to　moderate　its

surplusage；　and　Fabre　expounds　for　us；　with　a　stern　philosophy；　the

terrible　devices　by　which　this　repression　is　effected。



Each　has　its　appointed　enemy；　which　lives　upon　it　or　its　offspring；　and

which　in　turn　becomes　the　prey　of　some　smaller　creature。　The　gentle　itself；

〃the　king　of　the　dead；〃　has　its　parasites。　While　it　swims　in　the

deliquescence　of　putrefying　flesh　a　minute　Chalcidian　perforates　its　skin

with　an　imperceptible　wound；　and　introduces　its　terrible　eggs；　whence　in

the　future　will　issue　larvae　which　to…morrow　will　devour　the　devourers　of

to…day。



None　exists　save　to　the　detriment　of　others。　Everywhere；　even　in　the

smallest；　we　find　〃an　atrocious　activity；　a　cunning　brigandage；〃　a　savage

extermination；　which　dominates　a　vast　unconscious　world　of　which　the　final

result　is　the　restoration　of　equilibrium。　（10/7。）　It　is　only　on　these

antagonisms；　on　the　enemies　of　our　enemies；　that　we　can　found　any　hope　of

seeing　this　or　that　pest　disappear。　A　small　Hymenopteron；　almost　invisible；

the　Microgaster　glomeratus；　is　entrusted　with　the　destruction　of　the

cabbage　caterpillar；　the　cochineal　wages　war　to　the　death　upon　the　green…

fly；　the　Ammophila　is　the　predestined　murderer　of　the　harvest　Noctuela；

whose　misdeeds　in　a　beetroot　country　often　amount　to　a　disaster。　The

Odynerus　has　for　its　instinctive　mission　to　arrest　the　excessive

multiplication　of　a　lucerne　weevil；　no　less　than　twenty…four　of　whose　grubs

are　necessary　to　rear　the　offspring　of　the　brigand；　and　nearly　sixty

gadflies　are　sacrificed　to　the　growth　of　a　single　Bembex。



Everywhere　craft　is　organized　to　triumph　over　force。　Around　each　nest　the

parasites　lie　in　wait；　〃atrocious　assassins　of　the　child　in　the　cradle；

watching　at　the　doors　for　the　favourable　occasion　to　establish　their　family

at　the　expense　of　others。　The　enemy　penetrates　the　most　inaccessible

fortress；　each　has　its　tactics　of　war；　devised　with　a　terrible　art。　Of　the

nest　and　the　cocoon　of　the　victim　the　intruder　makes　its　own　nest；　its　own

cocoon；　and　in　the　following　year；　instead　of　the　master　of　the　house；　he

will　emerge　from　underground　as　the　usurping　bandit；　the　devourer　of　the

inhabitant。〃



While　the　cicada　is　absorbed　in　laying　her　eggs　an　insignificant　fly

labours　to　destroy　them。　How　express　the　calm　audacity　of　this　pigmy；

following　closely　after　the　colossus；　step　by　step；　several　at　once　almost

under　the　talons　of　the　giant；　which　could　crush　them　merely　by　treading　on

them？　But　the　cicada　respects　them；　or　they　would　long　ago　have

disappeared。〃　（10/8。）



Fabre　thus　agrees　with　Pasteur；　who　in　the　world　of　the　infinitely　little

shows　us　the　same　antagonisms；　the　same　vital　competition；　the　same　eternal

movement　of　flux　and　reflux；　the　same　whirlpool　of　life；　which　is

extinguished　only　to　reappear：　tending　always　towards　an　equilibrium　which

is　incessantly　destroyed。　And　it　is　thanks　to　this　balancing　that　the

integral　of　life　remains　everywhere　and　always　almost　identical　with

itself。





CHAPTER　11。　HARMONIES　AND　DISCORDS。



Such　indeed　is　the　economy　of　nature　that　secret　relations　and　astonishing

concordances　exist　throughout　the　whole　vast　weft　of　things。　There　are　no

loose　ends；　everything　is　consequent　and　ordered。　Hidden　harmonies　meet　and

mingle。



Among　the　terebinth　lice；　〃when　the　population　is　mature；　the　gall　is　ripe

also；　so　fully　do　the　calendars　of　the　shrub　and　the　animal　coincide〃；　and

the　mortal　enemy　of　the　Halictus；　the　sinister　midge　of　the　springtime；　is

hatched　at　the　very　moment　when　the　bee　begins　to　wander　in　search　of　a

location　for　its　burrows。