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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: caterpillar. In some cases, however, the mature animal is generally
considered as lower in the scale than the larva, as with certain parasitic
crustaceans. To refer once again to cirripedes: the larvae in the first
stage have three pairs of legs, a very simple single eye, and a
probosciformed mouth, with which they feed largely, for they increase much
in size. In the second stage, answering to the chrysalis stage of
butterflies, they have six pairs of beautifully constructed natatory legs,
a pair of magnificent compound eyes, and extremely complex antennae; but
they have a closed and imperfect mouth, and cannot feed: their function at
this stage is, to search by their well-developed organs of sense, and to
reach by their active powers of swimming, a proper place on which to become
On the Origin of Species |
