She kept
puzzling and running her eyes over them backwards and forwards, but could
not satisfy herself. She evidently had a vague notion of counting, but the
figure was too large for her brain. Taking the two as they stood, dog and
Demara, the comparison reflected no great honour on the man....' According
to my bird-nesting recollections, which I have refreshed by more recent
experience, if a nest contains four eggs, one may safely be taken; but if
two are removed, the bird generally deserts. Here, then, it would seem as
if we had some reason for supposing that there is sufficient intelligence
to distinguish three from four. An interesting consideration arises with
reference to the number of the victims allotted to each cell by the
solitary wasps. One species of Ammophila considers one large caterpillar of
_Noctua segetum_ enough; one species of Eumenes supplies its young with
five victims; another 10, 15, and even up to 24. The number appears to be
constant in each species. How does the insect know when her task is
fulfilled? Not by the cell being filled, for if some be removed, she does
not replace them. When she has brought her complement she considers her
task accomplished, whether the victims are still there or not. How, then,
does she know when she has made up the number 24? Perhaps it will be said
that each species feels some mysterious and innate tendency to provide a
certain number of victims.
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