More Hunting Wasps 



gauze cage, with her eight legs wide-spread 

 upon the trelliswork; the Caiicurgus is wheel- 

 ing round the top of the dome. Seized with 

 panic at the sight of the approaching enemy, 

 the Spider drops to the ground, with her 

 belly upwards and her legs gathered to- 

 gether. The other dashes forward, clasps 

 her round the body, explores her and pre- 

 pares to sting her in the mouth. But she 

 does not bare her weapon. I see her bend- 

 ing attentively over the poisoned fangs, as 

 though to investigate their terrible mechan- 

 ism; she then goes away. The Spider is still 

 motionless, so much so that I really believe 

 her dead, paralysed unknown to me, at a 

 moment when I was not looking. I take her 

 from the cage to examine her comfortably. 

 No sooner is she placed on the table than be- 

 hold, she comes to life again and promptly 

 scampers off ! The cunning creature was 

 shamming death beneath the Wasp's stiletto, 

 so artfully that I was taken in. She de- 

 ceived an enemy more cunning than myself, 

 the Pompilus, who inspected her very closely 

 and took her for a corpse unworthy of her 

 dagger. Perhaps the simple creature, like 

 the Bear in the fable of old, already noticed 

 the smell of high meat. 



This ruse, if ruse it be, appears to me 

 340 



