Life, 1922-08-03 · page 23 of 36
Life — August 3, 1922 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two unrelated satirical pieces: **Upper Article: "Do Insects Think?"** The author humorously argues for insect reasoning by recounting an anecdote about a pet wasp named "Pudge." After the author spills playing cards across his lab floor, he jokingly suggests the wasp might organize them. Next morning, the cards remain scattered—but the author claims this *proves* the wasp's intelligence: she supposedly reasoned that, knowing nothing about larva except wasp-larva, she'd make a mess, so she wisely refused the task and went to sleep instead. This absurdist logic satirizes pseudoscientific claims about animal cognition, poking fun at Professor Bouvier's theories on insect psychology. **Lower Cartoon: "Giving Him a Handicap on His Alibis"** A golfer lists humorous excuses for poor performance (ill-fitting shoes, neighbor's howling dog, lack of sleep, overeating, etc.), each counting as a "stroke." The satire mocks men's tendency to blame external circumstances rather than admit poor skill—a common complaint about male golfers.
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LIFE Do Insects Think ? Some Data on the Reasoning Power of the Wasp N a recent book entitled “The Psychic Life of Insects,” Pro- fessor Bouvier says that we must be careful not to credit the little winged fellows with intelligence when they behave in what seems an intelligent manner. They may be only react- ing. I should like to confront the Professor with an instance of rea- soning power on the part of an insect which can not be explained away in iny such manner. During the summer of 1899, while I was at work on my treatise, “Do Larve Laugh?” we kept a female wasp at our cottage in the Adiron- dacks. It really was more like a child of our own than a wasp, except that it looked more like a wasp than a child of our own. That was one of the ways we told the difference. Since it was a female, we decided to call it Miriam, but soon the chil- dren’s nickname for it—“Pudge”— became a fixture, and “Pudge” it was from that time on. One evening I had been working late in my laboratory fooling around with some gin and other chemicals, and in leaving the room I tripped over a nine of diamonds on the floor and knocked over my card catalogue containing the names and addresses of all the larve worth knowing in North America. The cards went everywhere. I was too tired to stop to pick them up that night, and went sobbing to bed, just as mad as I could be. As I went, however, I noticed the wasp flying about in circles over the scattered cards. -“Maybe Pudge will pick them up,” I said half-laughingly to myself, never thinking for one moment that such would be the case. When I came down the next morn- ing, Pudge was still asleep over in her box, evidently tired out. And well she might have been. For there on the floor lay the cards scattered all about just as I had left them. The faithful little insect had buzzed about all night trying to come to some decision about picking them up and arranging them in the cata- logue-box, and then, figuring out for herself that, as she knew practically nothing about larve of any sort ex- cept wasp-larve, she would prob- ably make a mess of rearranging them, she had gone and lain in her box where she cried herself to sleep. If this is not an answer to Pro- fessor Bouvier’s statement that in- sects have no reasoning power, I do not know what is. RC. B. Giving Him a Handicap on His Alibis New golf shoes that don’t fit. 1 stroke. Lost a lot of sleep last night, neighbor’s dog howled. Blisters from pushing lawn mower. °1 stroke. Smoked too much last night, New shaft in pet club is no good. this week. 1 stroke. Broiled lobster for too much on train. 1 stroke. last night. 1 stroke. 1 stroke. t lunch, never could eat lobster. 1 stroke. Lost $11.80 at poker 1 stroke. 1 stroke. Eyes tired, read Car in garage, fourth time comicbooks.com