158 A NATURALIST IN HIIMALAYA 



a herd of oxen led by the same blundering- Instinct 

 ferociously attack an injured comrade until they gore 

 it to death. 



I noticed that, after catching these spiders in a glass 

 tube so that all mode of escape was cut off, they used, 

 after running up and down the tube a few times, 

 commence to feign death. I do not suggest that the 

 spider voluntarily placed its body in the posture that 

 it thought it would occupy after it was dead, for I 

 greatly doubt if so lowly a creature could have any 

 mental idea of what that posture would be. But 

 certainly the posture of death was that which the 

 spiders did assume, for I allowed some specimens to 

 die in order to satisfy myself of the fact. The Hippasa 

 has instinctively learnt that it must first rely on its 

 great speed to effect its escape, and that, when its 

 retreat is cut off on all sides, its last resort is to lie 

 absolutely motionless and pretend that it is dead. 



This is often an excellent mode of escape and not 

 at all uncommon amongst both spiders and insects. 

 A cantharid beetle, with a red prothorax and dark 

 metallic blue wing-covers, often found in the valley, 

 used to sham death in the most perfect manner. When 

 touched, it immediately became motionless, flexed its 

 head, turned its antenna; beneath its body, bent in 

 its legs and appeared quite dead. Another much 

 larger form belonging to the genus Mylabris of the 

 same family, with conspicuous wing-covers banded 

 with warning colours of bright yellow, also feigned 

 death and, when alarmed, sometimes remained in that 

 state for over a minute. A very similar species of 

 the same genus, coloured with red bands and usually 

 found at higher altitudes, remained absolutely motion- 



