The Narbonne Lycosa 83 



Let us penetrate yet deeper into the wallet- 

 bearer's stupidity. After depriving the Lycosa 

 of her eggs, I throw her a ball of cork, roughly 

 polished with a file and of the same size as the 

 stolen pill. She accepts the corky substance, 

 so different from the silk purse, without the 

 least demur. One would have thought that 

 she would recognize her mistake with those 

 eight eyes of hers, which gleam like precious 

 stones. The silly creature pays no attention. 

 Lovingly she embraces the cork ball, fondles it 

 with her palpi, fastens it to her spinnerets and 

 thenceforth drags it after her as though she were 

 dragging her own bag. 



Let us give another the choice between the 

 imitation and the real. The rightful pill and the 

 cork ball are placed together on the floor of the 

 jar. Will the Spider be able to know the one 

 that belongs to her ? The fool is incapable of 

 doing so. She makes a wild rush and seizes 

 haphazard at one time her property, at another 

 my sham product. Whatever is first touched 

 becomes a good capture and is forthwith hung up. 



If I increase the number of cork balls, if I 

 put in four or five of them, with the real pill 



