263 
It seems to me that the cases which have been investi 
gated do not go to show that unintelligent habits of a 
non-adaptive character have arisen de novo. Either they 
are intelligent and adaptive, or they have lost those 
characteristics through change of circumstances. If, then, 
we cannot find illustrations of such instincts, we need 
not exercise our imagination in picturing how Natural 
Selection would act if change of circumstances made 
these variations useful. 
(5) In the fifth place, it is contended that certain instincts 
must have been developed apart from intelligence, because 
animals sometimes perform actions the prospective utility 
of which they cannot possibly understand. But it may be 
doubted whether this blindness always exists, or, at any 
rate, is so absolute as is sometimes supposed. Take as an 
illustration the case of the butterfly which lays its eggs on 
the cabbage-leaf. Dr. Duncan, in his lecture on Insect 
Metamorphosis, says :— 
“ Does the butterfly remember its existence as a gormandising 
caterpillar and therefore retain some notion of the propriety of laying 
eggs over cabbages ? Does the Odynerus fly remember its under 
ground life and obey some impulse to provide the unseen offspring 
with food different to that which she loves? It is possible; and, as 
nothing is too wonderful for psychologists, there may be something in 
the suggestion.”—(Nature. vol. vii., p. jj.) 
Very wonderful it would be if the butterfly had never 
had any personal experience of cabbage. But in point of 
fact, what have been its antecedents ? Before the brief 
career of its imago condition it has spent its time in 
gorging and in sleeping. Again and again it has burst the 
buttons of its jacket and a new jacket has been provided 
—eating meanwhile nothing but cabbage. As the sense of 
smell is strong in insects, and particularly useful with us in 
exciting old memories, I can see no reason why this two