ld to
our own.

[29] Gratien de Semur, _Traite des erreurs et des
prejuges_, Paris, 1848, p. 70.

I will, finally, give an example of the methods of surmounting a
difficulty of another order in utilising captured prey. It is not
enough to capture prey, or even to possess the means of utilising the
prey when captured. It is sometimes also necessary to prevent the
booty being taken possession of by some other member of the same
species as the hunter. Spiders are specially liable to this danger,
because their victims are noisy when caught. Hudson has described an
ingenious device made use of by a species of _Pholcus_--a quiet
inoffensive Spider found in Buenos Ayres--to escape this risk. This
spider, though large, is a weak creature, and possesses little venom
to despatch a fly quickly. The task of killing it is therefore long
and laborious, and the loud outcries of the victim may be heard for a
long time, sometimes for ten or twelve minutes. The other spiders in
the vicinity are naturally excited by this noise, and hurry out from
their webs to the scene of conflict, and the strongest or most daring
sometimes succeeds in carrying away the fly from its rightful captor.
Where, however, a large colony have been long in undisturbed
possession of a ceiling, when one has caught a fly he rapidly throws a
covering of web over it, cuts it away, and drops it down to hang
suspended by a line at a distance of two or three feet from the
ceiling. The other spiders arrive on the scene, but not finding the
cause of the disturbance retire to their own webs again. When the
coast is thus clear, our spider proceeds to draw up the captive fly,
now exhausted by its struggles.[30]

[30] W. H. Hudson, _Naturalist in La Plata_, 1892, p. 189.

_War and brigandage._--When Man attacks animals of another species,
either to kill them and feed on their flesh, or to steal the
provisions which they have amassed for themselves or their young, this
is called "hunting," and is considered as perfectly legitimate. When
men turn to beings of their own species either to kill them or to rob
them, several different cases are distinguished. If the assailants are
few in number, it is called "brigandage," and is altogether
reprehensible; but if both assailant and assailed are considerable in
number, the action is called "war," and receives no reprobation.

There are hunters among animals as well as among ourselves, and we
have seen their various