ii8 The Study of Animal Life parti 



if we use the word in a sense wide enough to include those 

 who collect, modify, and store the various fruits of the 

 earth. 



In illustrating these industries, I shall follow a charming 

 volume by Frdd^ric Houssay, Les Industries des Animaux, 

 Paris, 1890. 



I. Hunting. — Of this primary activity there are many 

 kinds. The crocodile lies in wait by the water's edge, 

 the python hangs like a lian from the tree, the octopus 

 lurks in a nook among the rocks, and the ant-lion 

 {Myrmeleon) digs in the sand a pitfall for unwary 

 insects. The angler-fish {LopMus piscatorius) is some- 

 what protectively coloured as he lies on the sand among 

 the seaweeds ; on his back three filaments dangle, and 

 possibly suggest worms to curious little fishes, which, 

 venturing near, are engulfed by the angler's horrid maw, 

 and firmly gripped by jaws with backward-bending teeth. 

 Many animals prowl about in search of easy prey — eggs 

 of birds, sleeping beasts, and small creatures like white 

 ants ; others would be burglars, like the Death's Head 

 Moth (Sphinx atropos) who seeks to slink into the homes 

 of the bees ; others are full of wiles, witness the cunning fox 

 and the wide-awake crow. Many, however, are hunters by 

 open profession, notably the carnivorous birds and mammals. 

 If these hunters could speak we should hear of many strange 

 exploits ; such, for instance, as that of a large spider which 

 landed a small fish. The ins and outs of their ways are 

 most interesting, especially to the student of comparative 

 intelligence. Think of the Indian Toxotes, a fish which 

 squirts drops of water on insects and brings them down 

 most effectively; several birds which let shells drop from 

 a height, e.g. the Greek eagle (Gypaetos barbatus), which 

 killed ^schylus by letting a tortoise drop on his head; 

 the grey-shrike (Lanius excubitor), which spikes its victims 

 on thorns ; and, strangest perhaps, the slave-making expedi- 

 tions of the Amazon ants. All strength and wiles not- 

 withstanding, the chase is often by no means easy ; the 

 hare grows swift as . well as the fox, many grow cautious 

 like trout in a much- fished stream, scouts and sentinels 



