fabre, poet of science-第24章

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the　narrow　chamber　of　the　burrow　among　vigorous　beetles；　for　weeks　on　end

working　their　long　spurred　legs；　or　at　grips　with　a　monstrous　caterpillar

making　play　with　its　flanks　and　mandibles；　rolling　and　unrolling　its

tortuous　folds？〃



Such　is　the　thrilling　mystery　of　which　Fabre　discovered　the　key。



With　inconceivable　ingenuity；　the　victim　is　seized　and　thrown　to　the

ground；　and　the　wasp　plunges　her　sting；　not　at　random　into　the　body；　which

would　involve　the　risk　of　death；　but　at　determined　points；　exactly　into　the

seat　of　those　invisible　nervous　ganglions　whose　mechanism　commands　the

various　movements　of　the　creature。



Immediately　after　these　subtle　wounds　the　prey　is　paralysed　throughout　its

body；　its　members　appear　to　be　disarticulated；　〃as　though　all　the　springs

were　broken〃；　the　true　corpse　is　not　more　motionless。



But　the　wound　is　not　mortal；　not　only　does　the　insect　continue　to　live；　but

it　has　acquired　the　strange　prerogative　of　being　able　to　live　for　a　very

long　period　without　taking　any　nourishment；　thanks　precisely　to　the

condition　of　immobility；　in　some　sort　vegetative；　which　paralysis　confers

upon　it。



When　the　hour　strikes　the　hungry　larva　will　find　its　favourite　meat　served

to　its　liking；　and　it　will　attack　this　defenceless　prey　with　all　the

circumspection　of　a　refined　eater；　〃with　an　exquisitely　delicate　art；

nibbling　the　viscera　of　its　victim　little　by　little；　with　an　infallible

method；　the　less　essential　parts　first　of　all；　and　only　in　the　last

instance　those　which　are　necessary　to　life。　Here　then　is　an

incomprehensible　spectacle；　the　spectacle　of　an　animal　which；　eaten　alive；

mouthful　by　mouthful；　during　nearly　a　fortnight；　is　hollowed　out；　grows

less　and　less；　and　finally　collapses；〃　while　retaining　to　the　end　its

succulence　and　its　freshness。



The　fact　is　that　the　mother　has　taken　care　to　deposit　her　egg　〃at　a　point

always　the　same〃　in　the　region　which　her　sting　has　rendered　insensible；　so

that　the　first　mouthfuls　are　only　feebly　resented。　But　as　the　enemy　goes

deeper　and　deeper　〃it　sometimes　happens　that　the　cricket；　bitten　to　the

quick；　attempts　to　retaliate；　but　it　only　succeeds　in　opening　and　closing

the　pincers　of　its　mandibles　on　the　empty　air；　or　in　uselessly　waving　its

antennae。〃　Vain　efforts：　〃for　now　the　voracious　beast　has　bitten　deep　into

the　spot；　and　can　with　impunity　ransack　the　entrails。〃　What　a　slow　and

horrible　agony　for　the　paralysed　victim；　should　some　glimmer　of

consciousness　still　linger　in　its　puny　brain！　What　a　terrible　nightmare　for

the　little　field…cricket；　suddenly　plunged　into　the　den　of　the　Sphex；　so

far　from　the　sunlit　tuft　of　thyme　which　sheltered　its　retreat！



To　paralyse　without　killing；　〃to　deliver　the　prey　to　the　larvae　inert　but

living〃：　that　is　the　end　to　be　attained；　only　the　method　varies　according

to　the　species　of　the　hunter　and　the　structure　of　the　prey；　thus　the

Cerceris；　which　attacks　the　coleoptera；　and　the　Scolia；　which　preys　upon

the　larvae　of　the　rose…beetle；　sting　them　only　once　and　in　a　single　place；

because　there　is　concentrated　the　mass　of　the　motor　ganglions。



The　Pompilus；　which　selects　a　spider　for　its　victim；　no　less　than　the

redoubtable　Tarantula；　knows　that　its　quarry　〃has　two　nervous　centres　which

animate　respectively　the　movements　of　the　limbs　and　those　of　the　terrible

fangs；　hence　the　two　stabs　of　the　sting。〃　（7/36。）



The　Sphex　plunges　her　dagger　three　times　into　the　breast　of　the　cricket；

because　she　knows；　by　an　intuition　that　we　cannot　comprehend；　that　the

locomotor　innervation　of　the　cricket　is　actuated　by　three　nervous　centres；

which　lie　wide　apart。　（7/37。）



Finally；　the　Ammophila；　〃the　highest　manifestation　of　the　logic　of

instinct；　whose　profound　knowledge　leaves　us　confounded；　stabs　the

caterpillar　in　nine　places；　because　the　body　of　the　victim　with　which　it

feeds　its　larvae　is　a　series　of　rings；　set　end　to　end；　each　of　which

possesses　its　little　independent　nervous　centre。〃　（7/38。）



This　is　not　all；　the　genius　of　the　Sphex　is　not　yet　at　the　end　of　its

foresight。　You　have　doubtless　heard　of　the　comatose　state　into　which　the

wounded　fall　when；　after　a　fracture　of　the　skull；　the　brain　is　compressed

by　a　violent　haemorrhage　or　a　bony　splinter。　The　physiologists　imitate　this

process　of　nature　when　they　wish；　for　example；　to　obtain；　in　animals　under

experiment；　a　state　of　complete　immobility。　But　did　the　first　surgeon　who

thought　of　trepanning　the　skull　in　order　to　exert　on　the　brain；　by　means　of

a　sponge；　a　certain　degree　of　compression；　ever　imagine　that　an　analogous

procedure　had　long　been　employed　in　the　insect　world；　and　that　these　clumsy

methods　were　merely　child's　play　beside　the　astonishing　feats　of　the

Unconscious？



For　the　stab　in　the　thoracic　ganglions；　however　efficacious；　is　often

insufficient。　Although　the　six　limbs　are　paralysed；　although　the　victim

cannot　move；　its　mandibles；　〃pointed；　sharp；　serrated；　which　close　like　a

pair　of　scissors；　still　remain　a　menace　to　the　tyrant；　they　might　at　least；

by　gripping　the　surrounding　grasses；　oppose　a　more　or　less　effectual

resistance　to　the　process　of　carrying　off。〃　So　the　preceding　manoeuvres　are

consummated　by　a　kind　of　garrotting；　that　is；　the　insect　〃takes　care　to

compress　the　brain　of　its　victim；　but　so　as　to　avoid　wounding　it；　producing

only　a　stupor；　a　simple　torpor；　a　passing　lethargy。〃　Is　not　the　ingenious

observer　justified　in　concluding　that　〃this　is　alarmingly　scientific〃？



Between　the　dry　statements　of　Dufour；　which　served　Fabre　as　his　original

theme；　and　the　unaccustomed　wealth　of　this　vast　physiological　poetry；　what

a　distance　has　been　covered！



How　far　have　we　outstripped　this　barren　matter；　these　shapeless　sketches！

Dufour；　another　solitary；　who　retired　to　his　province；　in　the　depth　of　the

Landes；　was　above　all　a　descriptive　anatomist；　and　he　limited　himself　to　an

inventory　of　the　nest　of　a　Cerceris。



For　him　the　Buprestes　were　dead；　and　their　state　of　preservation　was

explained　simply　as　a　kind　of　embalming；　due　to　some　special　action　of　the

venom　of　the　Hymenoptera。



These　facts；　therefore；　were　stated　as　simple　curiosities。



Fabre　proved　that　these　victims　possessed　all　the　attributes　of　life

excepting　movement；　by　provoking　contractions　in　their　members　under　the

influence　of　various　stimulants；　and　by　keeping　them　alive　artificially　for

an　indefinite　period。



On　the　other　hand；　he　demonstrated　the　comparative　innocuousness　of　the

venom　of　these　wasps；　some　of　which；　like　the　great　Cerceris　or　the

beautiful　and　formidable　Scolia；　alarm　by　their　enormous　size　and　their

terrifying　aspect；　so　that　the　conservation　of　the　prey　could　not　be　due　to

any　occult　quality；　to　some　more　or　less　active　antiseptic　virtue　of　the

venomous　fluid；　but　simply　to　the　precision　of　the　stab　and　the　miraculous

deftness　of　the　〃surgeon。〃



He　also　pointed　out　the　fact　that　the　sting　of　the　insect　is　able

immediately　to　dissociate　the　nervous　system　of　the　vegetative　life　from

that　of　the　correlative　life；　sparing　the　former；　and　taking　care　not　to

wound　the　abdomen；　which　contains　the　ganglions　of　the　great　sympathetic

nerve；　while　it　annihilates　the　latter；　which　is　more　or　less　concentrated

along　the　ventral　face　of　the　thoracic　region。



He　completed　this　splendid　demonstration；　not　only　by　provoking　under　his

own　eyes　the　〃murderous　manoeuvres；　the　intimate　and　passionate　drama；〃　but

also　by　reproducing　experimentally　all　these　astonishing　phenomena；

expounding　their　mechanism　and　their　variations　with　a　logic　and　lucidity；

an　art　and　sagacity　which　raise　this　marvellous　observation；　one　of　the

most　beautiful　known　to　science；　to　the　height　of　the　most　immortal

discoveries　of　physiology。　Claude　Bernard；　in　his　celebrated　experiments；

certainly　exhibited　no　greater　invention；　no　truer　genius。





CHAPTER　8。　THE　MIRACLE　OF　INSTINCT。



〃The　Spirit　Bloweth　Whither　it　Listeth。〃



What