XI 



THE INSTINCT OF FEIGNING DEATH 



' I ^HE so-called instinct of feigning death is one 

 -■- which is very widely distributed in the animal 

 kingdom. It crops out sporadically, as it were, in 

 forms which are but very distantly related, and hence 

 it must have been independently evolved a great 

 many times. The expression feigning death is a 

 misleading one to the extent that it is apt to give 

 rise to the idea that the animal consciously adopts 

 this device with the intent to deceive. But while 

 it is probable that among the higher animals which 

 sometimes feign death there may be an attempt to 

 mislead their enemies, it is quite certain that among 

 the insects, spiders and other low forms, there is no 

 such aim in the creature's mind, if we grant (what 

 some naturalists are disposed to deny) that these 

 animals have minds. The unpremeditated character 

 of this peculiar behavior was first shown by the ex- 

 periments of Fabre on beetles. In order to ascer- 

 tain if the duration of the feint was in any way 

 affected by his own movements, Fabre made several 

 observations on a large carab beetle, Scarites, which 

 shows the death feigning instinct in a pronounced 

 and typical form. When handled, the beetle would 



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