The Crab Spicier 189 



room, an inspection-post where the mother 

 remains sprawHng until the youngsters' exodus. 

 Greatly emaciated by the laying of her eggs and 

 by her expenditure of silk, she lives only for 

 the protection of her nest. 



Should some vagrant pass near by, she hurries 

 from her watch-tower, lifts a limb and puts the 

 intruder to flight. If I tease her with a straw, 

 she parries with big gestures, like those of a 

 prize-fighter. She uses her fists against my 

 weapon. When I propose to dislodge her in 

 view of certain experiments, I find some dijSi- 

 culty in doing so. She clings to the silken floor, 

 she frustrates my attacks, which I am bound to 

 moderate lest I should injure her. She is no 

 sooner attracted outside than she stubbornly 

 returns to her post. She declines to leave her 

 treasure. 



Even so does the Narbonne Lycosa struggle 

 when we try to take away her pill. Each 

 displays the same pluck and the same devotion ; 

 and also the same denseness in distinguishing 

 her property from that of others. The Lycosa 

 accepts without hesitation any strange pill 

 which she is given in exchange for her own ; 



