THE MINERS 265 



plant she would pass to another, running 

 three or four steps and then bounding as 

 though she were made of thistledown and 

 were too light to remain upon the ground. 

 We followed her easily, and as she was in 

 full view nearly all of the time, we had 

 every hope of witnessing the capture, but 

 in this we were destined to disappoint- 

 ment. We had been in attendance on her 

 for about a quarter of an hour, when, after 

 disappearing for a few moments under the 

 thick purslane leaves, she 

 came out with a green 

 caterpillar. We had missed 

 the wonderful sight of the 

 paralyser at work, but we 

 had no time to bemoan our loss, for she 

 was making off at so rapid a pace that 

 we were well occupied in keeping up 

 with her. She hurried along with the 

 same motion as before, unembarrassed 

 by the weight of her victim. Twice she 

 dropped it and circled over it a moment 



