74 Journal New York Entomological Society. [YoI. v. 



those qualities by natural selection, just as the spider itself would grad- 

 ually, and probably pari />assu, become, under the influence of the same 

 law, and more and more like the solid portion." And further, in a foot 

 note on p. 121 : ''Is not this exactness probably the result of the un- 

 consciousness of the spider ? Conscious-design would possibly have re- 

 sulted in a failure and abandoning the plan, or at least in a more clumsy 

 imitation." * 



To a great many naturalists it would appear as though if conscious- 

 ness were present at all it would first exhibit itself in protecting life and 

 afterwards in sustaining it. Without life food would be unnecessary, 

 and the same consciousness that would lead the spider to take certain 

 precautions to sustain life would impel it to take other or, perhaps, the 

 same precautions to protect its life. The earlier attempts might be 

 crude, but so long as they obscured the spider from the equally crude 

 vision of either foe or victim, it would suffice. Of course, if it should be 

 found that these species of spiders are inedible, then the whole effect of the 

 deception would be to aid in sustaining life, but this is yet to be shown. 

 Besides, it does not appear impossible that a kind of obscure and lim- 

 ited consciousness may have developed, springing, perhaps, from in- 

 herited instincts sufficient to enable these spiders and various species of 

 insects to take advantage of action or movements, in order to protect 

 their lives and perpetuate their species, but not extending beyond this 

 point in development. 



When, in the earliest development of animal life on the globe, one 

 form or individual began to prey upon another, then self-preservation 

 became necessary, and death a catastrophe to be feared and avoided. 

 We would, here, have the first fear-incited efforts put forth to escape 

 destruction by flight — the first impulse that seizes even man at the pres- 

 ent day, when suddenly exposed to impending danger. The next effort, 

 usually put forth by an organism, is to hide or secrete itself from a 

 danger that, perhaps, cannot be avoided by flight. The second of these 

 efforts, it is possible, might have followed the first very rapidly in 

 time of development, and, later on, as the struggle for life became more 

 severe between different forms, concealment for the purpose of surpris- 

 ing and capturing prey might have developed, and still later, the at- 

 tempt at defense on the part of the form pursued, would lead to trials 

 of strength between the attacking organism and the organism attacked, 



*These isolated observations give us no data whereby to judge to what extent 

 individual spiders vary from each other in their architecture, oi to what extent, if 

 any, the young profits by imitating its parents. 



