LEAF AND TENDRIL 



and Kellb^ in their " Animal Life," removed the 

 moss and the other assimilative material from the 

 door and found that the spider always replaced it. 

 Then he removed it again, and with it the moss and 

 debris from the ground in a large circle about the 

 nest. This, of course, left the door as well concealed 

 as before because it made it one with its surround- 

 ings. Did the spider leave it so ? Not a bit of it. 

 She fetched more moss and bits of bark and sticks 

 and covered it as before, which gave away her 

 secret completely. If she had done otherwise, or 

 had covered her door with soil so as to make it one 

 with its environment, we should have had to credit 

 her with a faculty higher than instinct. 



While speaking of insects in connection with this 

 subject of the automatic character of animal intel- 

 ligence, I am reminded of the habit of one of the 

 solitary wasps as described by Fabre. When the 

 wasp brings an insect to its hole, it lays it down at 

 the entrance and backs down into the hole, appar- 

 ently to make some examination, then comes out 

 and drags in its prey. Fabre watched his opportu- 

 nity, and, when the wasp had disappeared in her 

 den, removed her game a few inches away. The 

 wasp came out, hunted for her bug, found it and 

 drew it back to its former position, then dropped it 

 and retreated into her den as before. Fabre again 

 drew the insect away, and again the wasp came out 

 and repeated her former behavior. Time after 

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