Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/559

 BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIOLOGY 543

from the egg in the autumn, and remain in a sluggish condition till the spring. At that time (in April) the drones of the bee emerge from the pupae, and as they pass out through the gallery the Sitaris larvae fasten upon them. There they remain till the nuptial flight of the Anthophora, when the larva passes from the male to the female bee. Then again they wait their chance. The moment the bee lays an egg, the Sitaris larva springs upon it. Even while the poor mother is carefully fastening up her cell, her mortal enemy is beginning to devour her offspring; for the egg of the Anthophora serves not only as a raft, but as a repast. The honey, which is enough for either, would be too little for both ; and the Sitaris, therefore, at its first meal, relieves itself from its only rival. After eight days the egg is consumed, and on the empty shell the Sitaris undergoes its first transformation, and makes its appearance in a

very different form It changes into a white, fleshy grub, so organized

as to float on the surface of the honey, with the mouth beneath and the

spiracles above the surface In this state it remains until the honey is

consumed; and, after some further metamorphoses, develops into a perfect beetle in August.*

Now, the notable thing about Sitaris is that he appears to have no memory. He seems to learn nothing; for instance, he does not learn how to do anything. Many of his actions he does only once, and all of them he does as well the first time of doing as the last time. Memory, therefore, would be of no use to him. He arrives in the world perfectly equipped for the battle of his life, and is quite independent of all experience. He absorbs food, and, as he grows, his mind, such as it is, develops. Nothing besides the food is necessary for its development. He uses his mind, but the use of it does not add anything to it. His mental characters, therefore, are all inborn. They are instincts. An instinct is an emotional impulse which develops under the mere influence of nutrition, and which prompts to a corresponding action, the instinctive action. A man is very different. He is born very help- less, with few instincts, most of which are very imperfect. He has the instincts of sexual and parental love, but he learns to love this or that particular person. He has the instinct to sport, and so to develop his body by using it. He has the instincts of curiosity and imitativeness which cause him to use his mind, and so to develop it. He has, besides, the instinct to eat when hungry, and to rest when tired, and one or two other instincts. But, on the whole, his

2 Lloyd Morgan, Animal Intelligence, pp. 1 438, 439.