The Life of the Spider 



ing. The powerful Bee at first flutters and 

 hums about her glass prison; then, perceiv- 

 ing a burrow similar to that of her family, 

 she enters it without much hesitation. She is 

 extremely ill-advised: while she goes down, 

 the Spider comes up; and the meeting takes 

 place in the perpendicular passage. For 

 a few moments, the ear perceives a sort 

 of death-song: it is the humming of the 

 Bumble-bee, protesting against the reception 

 given her. This is followed by a long 

 silence. Then I remove the bottle and dip a 

 long-jawed forceps into the pit. I withdraw 

 the Bumble-bee, motionless, dead, with hang- 

 ing proboscis. A terrible tragedy must have 

 happened. The Spider follows, refusing to 

 let go so rich a booty. Game and huntress 

 are brought to the orifice. Sometimes, mis- 

 trustful, the Lycosa goes in again; but we 

 have only to leave the Bumble-bee on the 

 threshold of the door, or even a few inches 

 away, to see her reappear, issue from her 

 fortress and daringly recapture her prey. 

 This is the moment : the house is closed with 

 the finger, or a pebble; and, as Baglivi says, 

 'captatur tamen ista a rustico insidiatore,' to 

 which I will add, 'adjuvante Bombo.' 1 



'Thanks to the Bumble-bee.' 



58 



