| → OMIT 1866 1869 1872 |
| wasp or of the 1859 1860 1861 |
|
| → attacking animals, 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
| kinds of enemies, 1872 |
|
| → which has 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
| that it has since 1872 |
|
| → for some other purpose, such as to produce galls, subsequently 1869 |
| to cause galls subsequently 1859 1860 |
| for some purpose, such as to produce galls, subsequently 1861 1866 |
| for some other object, such as to produce galls, since 1872 |
|
| → born, 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
| they are born, 1872 |
|
| → selection. 1859 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
| selection. If we admire the several ingenious contrivances, by which the flowers of the orchis and of many other plants are fertilised through insect agency, can we consider as equally perfect the elaboration by our fir-trees of dense clouds of pollen, in order that a few granules may be wafted by a chance breeze on to the ovules? 1860 |
|
| → OMIT 1866 1869 1872 |
| the flowers of the 1859 1861 |
|
| → OMIT 1866 1869 1872 |
| by our fir-trees 1859 1861 |
|
|
are less perfect. Can we consider the sting of the
→OMIT
bee as perfect, which, when used against many
→attacking animals,
cannot be withdrawn, owing to the backward serratures, and
inevitably causes the death of the insect by tearing out its viscera? |
|
| If we look at the sting of the bee, as having
existed in a remote progenitor as a boring and serrated instrument, like that in so many members of the same great order, and
→which has
been modified but not perfected for its present purpose, with the poison originally adapted
→for some other purpose, such as to produce galls, subsequently
intensified, we can perhaps
how it is that the use of the sting should so often cause the
own death: for if on the whole the power of stinging be useful to the
it will
all the requirements of natural selection, though it may cause the death of some few members. If we admire the truly wonderful power of scent by which the males of many insects find their females, can we admire the production for this single purpose of thousands of drones, which are utterly useless to the community for any other
and which are ultimately slaughtered by their industrious and sterile sisters? It may be difficult, but we ought to admire the savage instinctive hatred of the queen-bee, which urges her
to destroy the young
her
as soon as
→born,
or to perish herself in the combat; for undoubtedly this is for the good of the community; and maternal love or maternal hatred, though the latter fortunately is most rare, is all the same to the inexorable principle of natural
→selection. If we admire the several ingenious contrivances, by which
→OMIT
and
many other plants are fertilised through insect agency, can we consider as equally perfect the elaboration
→OMIT
of dense clouds
|
