126 THE STUDY OF ANIMAL LIFE CHAP. 



lurks in a nook among the rocks, and the larval ant-lion 

 (Myrmeleon) digs in the sand a pitfall for unwary insects. 

 The angler-fish (Lopliius piscatorius) is somewhat pro- 

 tectively coloured as he lies on the sand among the sea- 

 weeds ; on his back three filaments dangle, and possibly 

 suggest worms to curious little fishes, which, venturing 

 near, are engulfed in the angler's wide gape, and firmly 

 gripped by jaws, with backward-bending teeth. Many 

 animals prowl about in search of easy prey eggs of 

 birds, sleeping beasts, and small creatures like white ants ; 

 others would be burglars, like the Death's Head Moth 

 (Sphinx atropos) who seeks to slink into the homes of the 

 bees ; others are full of wiles, witness the cunning fox 

 and the wide-awake crow. Many, however, are hunters 

 by open profession, notably the carnivorous birds and 

 mammals. 



Among these hunters there are many strange ex- 

 ploits ; such, for instance, as that of a large spider which 

 landed a small fish. The ins and outs of their ways are 

 most interesting, especially to the student of compara- 

 tive psychology. Think of the Indian Toxotes, a fish 

 which squirts drops of water on insects and brings them 

 down most effectively ; several birds which let shells 

 drop from a height, e.g. the Greek eagle (Gypaetos bar- 

 batus), which killed /Eschylus by letting a tortoise drop 

 on his head, and the rooks which break freshwater mussels 

 by letting them fall among the stones ; the grey-shrike 

 (Lanius excubitor), w T hich spikes its victims on thorns ; 

 and, strangest perhaps, the slave-making expeditions of 

 the Amazon ants. All strength and wiles notwithstand- 

 ing, the chase is often by no means easy ; the hare grows 

 swift as well as the fox, many grow cautious like trout 

 in a much-fished stream, scouts and sentinels are often 

 utilised, the weak combine against the strong, and the 

 victims of even the strong carnivores often show fight 

 valiantly. 



2. Shepherding. Although the ants are the only 

 animals which show a pastoral habit in any perfection, 

 and that only in certain species (e.g. Lasius niger and 

 Lasius brunneus), the fact is one about which we may 



