Fabre's Observation Notes -- Scorpions, Spiders, and Weevils

Author: Fabre's Observation Notes
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-01-01
Features: Excerpt: A straw with a head attached, gently rubbing and swaying at the entrance of the burrow. I immediately noticed that the jumping spider's attention and desire were both stimulated. It was drawn towards the straw and began to crawl towards it. When hunting, spiders usually dash out of their burrows in one swift movement to attack their prey, and this time was no exception. As it suddenly leaped out, before it could even react, I pulled the straw out of the burrow and quickly covered the entrance with my hand. This caused the jumping spider to panic and flail, making it easy for me to force it into my paper bag, which I then sealed immediately.
Sometimes, if it suspected a trap or wasn’t hungry, it would stay at a certain distance from the burrow, choosing a spot where it thought I couldn’t reach it. Its patience was greater than mine. In such cases, I had to employ a different tactic. After determining the direction of the burrow and the spider’s position, I used a blade to plunge diagonally into the burrow from behind, blocking its escape route. I rarely failed, especially on land with fewer rocks. At this point, the jumping spider might either dash out of the burrow and flee or stubbornly try to escape through the tunnel while desperately resisting my blade. At that moment, I would forcefully pry the blade upward, lifting both the spider and the soil blocks far away, thus capturing it. With this method, I could sometimes catch 15 jumping spiders in just an hour.
Sometimes, when I extended the straw to the bend in its burrow, I would see it play with the straw with a look of disdain, pushing it away with its claws without retreating to the bottom of the burrow. I knew then that the jumping spider had completely recognized my trap, so I wasn’t surprised by its actions.
According to Bagley’s report, farmers in Bouillier also use oat spikes to mimic the sound of insects at the burrow entrances to catch jumping spiders: ‘Local farmers, when trying to catch jumping spiders, would rub an oat spike at the entrance of the burrow, producing a sound similar to that of a bee in flight. The spider, thinking that a bee or some other small insect had come, would dash out to catch it, only to fall into the cunning farmer’s hands.’
At first glance, the jumping spider may appear quite frightening, especially when you consider its venomous fangs. However, despite its rough exterior, it is easily tamed. I have conducted many experiments on this.
On May 7, 1812, while I was living in Valencia, Spain, I encountered a rather large male jumping spider. I handled it gently, placing it in a short-necked, wide-mouthed glass jar, sealing the opening with paper and leaving a in the center. At the bottom of the jar, I placed a conical paper bag as its home. I placed the jar on a table in my bedroom so I could observe it frequently. It quickly adapted to its secluded life and later became familiar with me, even coming to my fingertips to catch the live flies I provided. After killing its prey with its venomous fangs, it didn’t suck the prey’s head like most spiders do, but instead chewed the prey’s body, slowly feeding the fragments into its mouth with its antennae, and then discarded the leftover exoskeleton, sweeping it far away from its home.
After meals, it rarely forgot to groom itself, using the tarsus of its front legs to brush its antennae and the inner and outer surfaces of its jaws. After finishing this, it would once again become motionless, appearing solemn and dignified. At night and during the day, it was its time for a stroll. I often heard it scratching the paper bag. This habit confirmed my earlier observations in other publications: most spiders, like cats, have vision both during the day and at night.