4o8 PECKHAM. [Vol. i. 



The preference of our spiders for red seemed to be much 

 more marked than that of Sir John Lubbock's ants ; and the 

 spiders had not so positive a dishke for blue. In Lubbock's 

 experiments, on one occasion there congregated under a piece 

 of red glass 890 ants, under yellow 495, under green 544, 

 and under blue 5. 



These experiments seem to be conclusive as to the exist- 

 ence of a color-sense in certain spiders. 



FEIGNING DEATH. 



Wishing to discover what spiders would do in the way of 

 feigning death, we subjected them to various alarming condi- 

 tions, in the hope of getting an exhibition of this interesting 

 habit. We began with a female of Astia vittata that had been 

 caught in a sweep-net. She was prevented from escaping by 

 lightly striking the cloth of the net underneath the spot upon 

 which she was standing. In this way, as often as she attempted 

 to run or jump out of the net, she was knocked over and 

 baffled. At first she immediately jumped up and made another 

 attempt to escape ; but at the eleventh repetition of the blow 

 she fell upon her back and remained motionless, with legs out- 

 stretched, for half a minute. The next time she was knocked 

 over she fell in the same position, and did not move for ten 

 minutes. After that she kept quiet for only half a minute at a 

 time. Several other species of this family behaved in the same 

 way when subjected to like annoyances, but we never again saw 

 an Attus lie quiet for so long a time as ten minutes. 



A very active female of H. ecclesiasticus was placed upon a 

 table and lightly knocked and brushed about. She jumped up 

 as soon as she fell, excepting in one instance, when she lay on 

 her back with legs outstretched for half a minute. 



A female of Micromata carolinensis, a species which runs 

 with great rapidity, was treated in the same way. She appeared 

 much alarmed, but when she fell always struggled to her feet 

 without an instant's pause, and again endeavored to escape. 



A great many more tests were made with running and jump- 

 ing spiders; but in no case did they show that the spider would 

 feign death, nor, indeed, that it had even acquired a habit of 

 keeping still when alarmed. They were only reduced to quiet 



