156 A NATURALIST IN HIMALAYA 



shell of a fly, long since emptied of its juices, lay 

 rejected on the snare. An unwelcome visitor in the 

 shape of a stinging wasp came buzzing by and entangled 

 its feet in the spider's snare. Now the Hippasa, 

 though armed with fangs and poison, is by no means 

 valiant ; though fierce enough with harmless flies, it 

 will not join battle with an angered wasp. However, 

 on feeling the vibration of the snare it darted forward, 

 but, on perceiving the nature of its capture, it halted 

 for an instant and then sprang swiftly back. But the 

 presence of the wasp seemed to have imbued the spider 

 with an impelling instinct of capture, a feeling that, 

 if it could not seize the wasp, it must seize something, 

 for it again darted forward with equal rapidity, not to 

 attack the stinging wasp, but to sink its fangs deeply 

 into the rejected remnants of the fly. It is dangerous 

 to interpret insect emotions in terms of human feeling, 

 but it was difficult not to conclude that the entangled 

 wasp had aroused in the spider that instinct 'which 

 compels it to rush forth and seize an insect, and that 

 the instinct, being first foiled by the fierce nature of 

 the prey, yet still impelled the spider on until it finally 

 attained its unprofitable fulfilment in the body of the 

 empty fly. The force of instinct is remorseless. It 

 must be satisfied even in a useless end. 



We see similar instances of this blundering, mis- 

 guided instinct all through the animal world. I have 

 already mentioned how the harvesting ants will some- 

 times during times of famine store up grass and pebbles 

 in the nest, not that this material is of any use to 

 them, but because they feel compelled by instinct to 

 gather something, and there is no grain available for 

 them to collect, Also I have shown how the car- 



