66 THE INDUSTRIES OF ANIMALS. 



Feint. — Many animals, when they cannot escape 

 danger by flight, seek safety by various feints. The 

 device of feigning death is especially w^idespread. 



Many coleopterous insects and Spiders simulate 

 death to perfection, although it has been ascertained 

 that they do not always adopt the attitude which 

 members of their species fall into when really dead. 

 But they remain perfectly motionless ; neither leg 

 nor antenna stirs. McCook, who has devoted such 

 loving study to Spiders, remarks in his magnificent 

 work, that the Orbweavers, especially, possess this 

 habit " One who touches an Orbweaver when hang- 

 ing upon its web will often be surprised to see it 

 suddenly cast itself from the snare, or appear to drop 

 from it, as though shot off by some unseen force. 

 Unless he understands the nature of the creature he 

 will be utterly at a loss to know what has become of 

 it. In truth it has simply dropped upon the ground 

 by a long thread which had been instantaneously 

 emitted, and had maintained the Aranead in its re- 

 markable exit, so that its fall was not only harmless, 

 but its return to the web assured. The legs are 

 drawn up around the body, and to the inexperienced 

 eye it has the external semblance of death. In this 

 condition it may be handled, it may be turned over, 

 it may be picked up, and, for a little while at least, 

 will retain its death-like appearance." Preyer, who 

 has studied this phenomenon in various animals, 

 comes to the conclusion that it is usually due to 

 unconsciousness as the result of fright.^ McCook is 

 unable to accept this theory of kataplexy, so far as 

 Spiders are concerned. " I have frequently watched 



' Sammhing physiologisclier Abhandlungen, Zweite Reihe, Erster 

 Heft, 1878. 



