The Question of Property 299 



prevents her from taking her position in the 

 centre, the chief strategic point; and yet she 

 does not move from the place where I put her. 



I tickle her gently with the tip of a long 

 straw. When at home, if teased in this way, 

 the Banded Epeira — like the others, for that 

 matter — violently shakes the web to intimidate 

 the aggressor. This time, nothing happens : 

 despite my repeated enticements, the Spider 

 does not stir a limb. It is as though she were 

 numbed with terror. And she has reason to be : 

 the other is watching her from her lofty loop-hole. 



This is probably not the only cause of her 

 fright. When my straw does induce her to 

 take a few steps, I see her lift her legs with 

 some difficulty. She tugs a bit, drags her tarsi 

 till she almost breaks the supporting threads. 

 It is not the progress of an agile rope-walker ; 

 it is the hesitating gait of entangled feet. Per- 

 haps the lime-threads are stickier than in her 

 own web. The glue is of a different quality ; and 

 her sandals are not greased to the extent which 

 the new degree of adhesiveness would demand. 



Anyhow, things remain as they are for long 

 hours on end : the Banded Epeira motionless 



