276 THE WONDERS OF INSTINCT 



for hunting-expeditions: he profits by the discoveries 

 which good luck sends him, without undertaking assidu- 

 ous searches. It is essential, therefore, that the equi- 

 librium of a prize perched on the top of a stalk and only 

 just held in position by a touch of glue should be dis- 

 turbed as little as possible during the onslaught; it is 

 necessary that the assailant should go to work with infi- 

 nite circumspection and without producing pain, lest any 

 muscular reaction should provoke a fall and endanger 

 the prize. As we see, sudden and profound anesthesia 

 is an excellent means of enabling the Lampyris to attain 

 his object, which is to consume his prey in perfect quiet. 



What is his manner of consuming it? Does he really 

 eat, that is to say, does he divide his food piecemeal, 

 does he carve it into minute particles, which are after- 

 wards ground by a chewing-apparatus? I think not. 

 I never see a trace of solid nourishment on my captives' 

 mouths. The Glow-worm does not eat in the strict 

 sense of the word : he drinks his fill ; he feeds on a thin 

 gruel into which he transforms his prey by a method 

 recalling that of the maggot. Like the flesh-eating grub 

 of the Fly, he too is able to digest before consuming; 

 he liquefies his prey before feeding on it. 



This is how things happen : a Snail has been rendered 

 insensible by the Glow-worm. The operator is nearly 

 always alone, even when the prize is a large one, like 

 the common Snail, 'Helix aspersa. Soon a number of 

 guests hasten up two, three, or more and, without 

 any quarrel with the real proprietor, all alike fall to. 

 Let us leave them to themselves for a couple of days 



