Before it dies, a fly slows down considerably and can be captured by hand quite easily. Close to the end, it walks hither and thither, taking to the air abruptly but briefly and haphazardly. It rests at a place increasingly often and for increasingly long, and it barely moves when prodded with a finger. Its front legs seize in a way similar to that of a praying mantis. From time to time, it flips over and buzzes on its back. After the last such flip, the remaining legs seize, as well. The corpse of the erstwhile air acrobat can then be picked up by a frozen wing and tossed away with impunity.