THE INSTINCT OF FEIGNING DEATH 183 



same way. Among spiders death-feigning is not uncommon, especially 

 among the orb weavers. 



It is among the insects that the death-feigning instinct reaches its 

 fullest development, occurring to a greater or less extent in most of the 

 orders. It is especially common in beetles and not unusual among the 

 bugs, but it is quite rare in the highest orders such as the Diptera or 

 flies, and the Hymenoptera, or the ants, bees and their allies. It occurs 

 in a few cases among butterflies and moths, both in the imago as well 

 as the larval state. The instinct is exhibited in different species in all 

 stages of development from a momentary feint to a condition of in- 

 tense rigor lasting for over an hour. Some insects may be severely 

 mutilated, or, according to De Geer, even roasted over a fire before they 

 will cease feigning. 



Among the vertebrate animals death-feigning has been observed 

 only rarely in the fishes. In the Amphibia it is not exhibited in the 

 striking way it occurs in insects and spiders, although frogs and toads 

 may be thrown by the proper manipulation into an immobile condition 

 more or less resembling it. A phenomenon apparently related to the 

 death feigning of insects has long been known in certain reptiles. 

 Darwin in his " Journal of Eesearches " describes a South American 

 lizard which when frightened " attempts to avoid discovery by feigning 

 death with outstretched legs, depressed body, and closed eyes; if fur- 

 ther molested it buries itself with great quickness in the loose sand." 

 The Egyptian snake charmers by a slight pressure in the neck region 

 are able to make the asp suddenly motionless so that it remains entirely 

 passive in the hands of the operator. And similar phenomena have 

 been found in other species. 



In birds the instinct crops out only here and there. A few sum- 

 mers ago when on the island of Penikese I was somewhat surprised to 

 find the instinct well developed in the young terns which were hatched 

 out in abundance on the hillsides. For a short time after being 

 hatched the little downy fellows betray no fear of man and will cuddle 

 under one's hand in perfect confidence. When the birds become larger 

 and acquire their second coat of feathers the instinct of fear takes pos- 

 session of them and they run and hide in the grass when you approach. 

 Here they lie perfectly quiet; you may pull them about, stretch out 

 their legs, necks, or wings and place them in the most awkward posi- 

 tions, and they will remain as limp and motionless as if really dead. 

 They will even suffer their wing or tail feathers to be plucked out one 

 by one without a wince. But all of a sudden the bird becomes a very 

 different creature. It screams, pecks and struggles to escape. I have 

 made several attempts to make a bird feign death a second time, but 

 never met with success. According to Couch the land rail and sky- 

 lark feign death, and Wrangle states that the wild geese of Siberia 

 have the same habit during their molting season, when they are unable 



