The Psychology of ''Playing 'Possum" 53 



although for a time amusing, it at length became trouble- 

 some, and resolving to get rid of it the sooner, I, one day, 

 when he had fallen down, sent to the kitchen for a supply 

 of hot coals which we placed on his rump. At first he did 

 not seem to mind this much, but as the application waxed 

 hot he gradually raised his head, took a steady look at 

 the site of the cinders, and finally getting on his legs 

 went off at a racing pace and took the fence like a deer. 

 This was the last occasion on which we were favored with 

 a visit from our friend." 



Foxes, when surprised in a hen house, have acted as 

 though dead and permitted themselves to be carried out 

 of the house without disi)laying any sign of life. As 

 soon, however, as they have been thrown upon the dump 

 heap they have scampered away at great speed. 



At first blush these examples seem to be on a higher 

 plane than the death-feigning of insects but, until the 

 letisimulation of mammals has been investigated by 

 means of carefully controlled experiments, it is best to 

 suspend judgment. 



Ingersoll's discussion of the origin of the death-feign- 

 ing instinct of the opossum is illuminating. He mentions 

 the well-known fact that the same stimulus does not 

 always cause an opossum to letisimulate. When threat- 

 ened, sometimes it fights, some times it attempts to run 

 away, at others it feigns death. As far as keen investi- 

 gators have been able to determine, the external stimulus 

 is identical. He also calls attention to his belief that, at 

 the present day, the death-feigning behavior of the 

 opossum is baneful rather than beneficial. To illustrate, 

 in Texas there is a species of buzzard that threatens 

 the opossum by flapping its wings; then, as soon as 

 the animal letisimulates, proceeds to pluck out its eyes 

 and to gouge chunks of flesh out of its bodv. Since 



