Terry explained that we had not felt sufficiently used to the
language, making rather a mess of it, I thought, but Jeff was franker.
"Will you excuse us all," he said, "if we admit that we find it hard
to believe? There is no such--possibility--in the rest of the world."
"Have you no kind of life where it is possible?" asked Zava.
"Why, yes--some low forms, of course."
"How low--or how high, rather?"
"Well--there are some rather high forms of insect life in which
it occurs. Parthenogenesis, we call it--that means virgin birth."
She could not follow him.
"BIRTH, we know, of course; but what is VIRGIN?"
Terry looked uncomfortable, but Jeff met the question quite
calmly. "Among mating animals, the term VIRGIN is applied to the
female who has not mated," he answered.
"Oh, I see. And does it apply to the male also? Or is there a
different term for him?"
He passed this over rather hurriedly, saying that the same
term would apply, but was seldom used.
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