362 ZOOLOGY. 
about to engage in regular battle, but in a moment they dropped 
to their feet again and ran away from each other like two kittens 
at play ; this I saw them do many times afterward, always ending 
in the same manner. I also often saw them chase each other 
around the box, first one and then the other being the pursuer. 
I thought then and still think they were at play, for never in any 
instance did they bite one another, nor manifest an appearance of 
wanting to do so. The only time I ever saw them exhibit ill 
temper was when I gave them water to drink, which I did once a 
day, pouring a small quantity upon the bottom of the box; the 
spiders always ran quickly to it, and oftentimes would stand with 
all their feet in the little puddle that I made for them, drinking 
long and steadily, and sometimes in their eagerness crowding 
each other; then one would seem to lose his temper and would 
drive the other away from the water. Another and very neat way 
I had of supplying them with water wis with a piece of whalebone 
split fine at the end to form a sort of a brush; this would hold @ 
drop or two. I held it near to one of the spiders, but high enough 
to oblige it to rise on its hind legs almost erect to reach it; this 
either would do as readily as a dog would have risen to my hand 
for a piece of meat; after the first two or three times that I sup- 
plied them in this way, sustaining themselves by resting the fore 
legs on the whalebone, sucking the brush dry before letting g0 
of it. After a time I did not need to bring the whalebone near 
to them. I would merely show it inside the box and there was 4 
run for it, the first one reaching it getting the first drink, the other 
awaiting its turn; if was a matter of surprise to me that they 
eared to drink so often and so much. I had supposed spiders 
were capable of sustaining long fasts, both in eating and drinking; 
in fact the experience of others teaches us that such is the cas 
but in this instance they were ready to drink at least once a day: 
I supplied them well with flies for food and closely watched 
their method of taking them. The motion of a cat creeping 
upon a bird is as good an illustration as any of the method ; the 
spider would creep to within the distance of an inch of the fly; 
stand perfectly still a moment and then throw the body fo: 
as far as the length of the hind legs would admit, the hind feet 
not moving from the place on which they were fixed, preparatory 
to the spring. They did not often miss in the first effort, but, if 
they did, they made repeated attempts until the fly was captured, 
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