Narbonne Lycosa: Climbing-Instinct 



Let us consider the Lycosa in particular 

 In her, at the moment of the exodus, a sudden 

 instinct arises, to disappear, as promptly and 

 for ever, a few hours later. This is the 

 climbing-instinct, which is unknown to the 

 adult and soon forgotten by the emancipated 

 youngling, doomed to wander homeless, for 

 many a long day, upon the ground. Neither 

 of them dreams of climbing to the top of a 

 grass-stalk. The full-grown Spider hunts 

 trapper-fashion, ambushed in her tower; the 

 young one hunts afoot through the scrubby 

 grass. In both cases there is no web and 

 therefore no need for lofty contact-points. 

 They are not allowed to quit the ground and 

 climb the heights. 



Yet here we have the young Lycosa, wish- 

 ing to leave the maternal abode and to travel 

 far afield by the easiest and swiftest methods, 

 suddenly becoming an enthusiastic climber. 

 Impetuously she scales the wire trellis of the 

 cage where she was born; hurriedly she clam- 

 bers to the top of the tall mast which I have 

 prepared for her. In the same way, she 

 would make for the summit of the bushes in 

 her waste-land. 



We catch a glimpse of her object. From 

 185 



