white zebra-looking stripes on the upper part of the abdomen, and very common in shrubberies and hedgerows:-" He (the spider) was a very fine fellow, and very lively, and was running about on a large leaf, apparently on the look-out for food. When near the tip of the leaf, a fly alighted at its base: in an instant the spider turned and faced the fly. After steadily pointing for a short time, he sidled off towards the edge of the leaf, but with a motion so slow as to be almost imperceptible, and still keeping his head directed towards the fly. On reaching the edge of the leaf, he quickly turned over, and crept along on the under side, every now and then popping up his head to see how near he could get to his intended victim. When he arrived at what he considered a convenient distance, he returned to the upper side of the leaf, and with one bound cleared the distance (nearly two inches) between himself and the fly; the latter, however, was too quick for him, and flew off at the moment he made his spring, otherwise, so well directed was his aim, that he must have alighted on the fly's back. Poor fellow! he appeared much ashamed of his failure, and slunk away to the shelter of a leaf which hung down on the one where he had been hunting." Evelyn also ascribes to these spiders the property of instructing their young how to hunt; but this we consider as apocryphal, believing that their natural instinct is all-sufficient in this respect. Leapers of all kinds are liable to falls; and to prevent accidents from this source, nature has been very beneficent in her endowments. The cat kind invariably alight on their feet, let the height from which they fall be what it may; the impetus of the grasshopper is broken by the spread of her sheaths; and the hunting spiders throw out a cable of gossamer, by which they dangle in the air, and can speedily recover their original position.

WANDERING SPIDERS.

The common wandering spider (Aranea viatica) is an active, lively hunter, which may be said to run down its game rather than lie in wait for or ensnare it. It is ever on the move, and, being remarkably quick-sighted, is not long in discovering its game, which it grasps in its feathered arms. Occasionally it seizes a fly stronger than itself, and then the two may be seen rolling and tumbling about-the spider holding on with convulsive grasp, and the fly struggling and buzzing in an agony of terror. The struggle is usually soon over; for what the spider wants in mere bodily strength, is more than made up for by his poisoned fangs, which are sunk at the first opportunity into the breast of his victim. There are several species of wanderers, all rather large, and beautifully marked-the ground colour being tawny, and the linear bands of orange and changing green, with small black dots between. It is asserted by some that they sit on their eggs, and by others that they carry. them about in little balls, like the epeira. Both assertions we

doubt: they may watch beside their eggs, but assuredly they do not sit on them for the purpose of hatching; and the dragging of a ball behind them for three weeks or more, would be destructive of their capabilities as hunters. We believe that they make use of a fixed envelope of gossamer, as many other of the field spiders do, and trust to the natural warmth of the season for the development of their brood.

THE GOSSAMER SPIDER.

Though perhaps the smallest, gossamer spiders are among the most active and most widely distributed of the tribe. In favourable autumns they are found in myriads, scattered everywhere, and borne everywhere on their airy webs-it may be to thousands of miles distant from the spot whence they arose. The gossamer spider of Europe (Aranea obtextrix) is about the size of a pin's head, and of a shining dark-brown colour, with yellowish legs. These little creatures have the power of shooting out lines of gossamer from their spinnerets, so as to render themselves buoyant and lighter than air; and these lines, being borne upwards and onwards by aerial currents, float the aeronauts with as great safety as if they had wings. They can also coil and thicken these lines when in the air; and by this means, as well as by the lines crossing and tangling with each other, showers of cobwebs have been occasioned, which, till the cause was discovered, gave rise to strange suppositions. By one of these showers in September 1741, which extended for many miles, Mr White of Selborne was prevented from hunting, his dogs being blinded and hoodwinked.

These spiders, according to Dr Bechstein, who has closely studied their habits, first appear, towards the end of September, in woods, gardens, and uplands, where their eggs are hatched in safety; thence they spread themselves over whole districts, and during October, and till the middle of November, may be found in dry fields throughout Europe. At that season extensive tracts of land are sometimes seen swarming with them. In the beginning of October, when but few are hatched, some single threads of their webs, extending from twig to twig, are seen only in the sunshine; about the middle of the month, their threads are more perceptible; and towards the end, if a person stand in such a position as to see the sunbeams play on the slender threads, hedges, meadows, corn-fields, stubble land, and even whole districts, appear covered with a fine spangling silvery gauze. These little animals do not weave webs, but only extend their threads from one place to another. These threads are so delicate, that not one can be seen unless the sun shines upon it. One of them, to be visible at other times, must be composed of at least six ordinary threads twisted together. In serene calm days these spiders work with great diligence, especially after the disappearance of the morning fogs. Between twelve and two, however,

their industry excites the greatest admiration. A person with a pretty quick eye, or by help of a glass, may sometimes perceive, among the barley-stubble, such a multitude of these insects extending their threads, that the fields appear to be actually alive with them. When several of the single threads become tangled together, so as to form flocks and balls, they are known in Germany by the name of " the flying summer," because the summer seems to fly away at the same time. None of the smaller insects can resist this all-enveloping mesh of gossamer; and, consequently, aphides, flies, and other spiders, may be often seen entangled, and struggling in the same mass.

It is not in Europe alone, however, that gossamer spiders abound. Mr Darwin found their lines coating the rigging of the Beagle, when lying within the mouth of the river La Plata, in South America. "One day (November 1, 1832) I paid particular attention to this subject. The weather had been fine and clear, and in the morning the air was full of patches of the flocculent web, as on an autumnal day in England. The ship was sixty miles distant from the land, in the direction of a steady, though light breeze. Vast numbers of a small spider, about onetenth of an inch in length, and of a dusky red colour, were attached to the webs. There must have been, I should suppose, some thousands on the ship. The little spider, when first coming in contact with the rigging, was always seated on a single thread, and not on the flocculent mass, which seems merely to be produced by the entanglement of the single threads. The spiders were all of one species, but of both sexes, together with young ones. These latter were distinguished by their smaller size, and more dusky colour. I will not give the description of this spider, but merely state that it does not appear to be included in any of Latreille's genera. The little aeronaut, as soon as it arrived on board, was very active, running about, sometimes letting itself fall, and then reascending the same thread; sometimes employing itself in making a small and very irregular mesh in the corners between the ropes. It could run with facility on the surface of water. When disturbed, it lifted up its front legs in the attitude of attention. On its first arrival, it appeared very thirsty, and drank eagerly of drops of water; this same circumstance has been observed by Strack. May it not be in consequence of the little insect having passed through a dry and rarefied atmosphere? Its stock of web seemed inexhaustible. While watching some that were suspended by a single thread, I several times observed that the slightest breath of air bore them away out of sight in a horizontal line. On another occasion (25th), under similar circumstances, I repeatedly observed the same kind of small spider, either when placed or having crawled on some little eminence, elevate its abdomen, send forth a thread, and then sail away horizontally, but with a rapidity which was quite unaccountable. I thought I could perceive that the spider, before

performing the above preparatory steps, connected its legs together with the most delicate threads, but I am not sure whether

this observation was correct."

The mode in which the gossamer is emitted from the spinnerets of this and other spiders, has given rise to much discussion among naturalists; but we fear to very little accurate observation in the field. Some imagine that it is forcibly ejected from the spinner, so as to shoot forth to a distance of several feet; but these lose sight of the fact, that it is impossible to propel such a light substance as gossamer, even to the distance of a few inches, unless in vacuo. Others call in the aid of electricity; but this, so far as the animal is concerned, is wholly conjectural, though electrical conditions of the atmosphere may greatly facilitate the ascent of the silken lines. Others again, and among them Mr Darwin, are of opinion that the creature, highly susceptible of the least current in the air, merely elevates its abdomen, and assists with its limbs the evolution of the gossamer, till the thread is caught by the current, which carries it rapidly onward to the distance of several yards. By the force which the light line of gossamer exerts on the body of the spider, it knows when there is enough to buoy it up; and then quitting hold of the object on which it stands, it floats away at pleasure. By lengthening this line, it can render the car more buoyant; or by simply coiling it up, or detaching part of it, the little aeronaut can descend on terra firma. Such, we believe, is the right interpretation of the phenomenon, which is one of great interest and curiosity.

THE WATER SPIDER.

The water spider (Argyroneta aquatica) is one of our native species, and is found abundantly during summer in our freshwater ponds and ditches. It is chiefly remarkable for its habitation, which is built in the midst of water, and, in fact, of air -a very uncomfortable one certainly, were it constantly wet; but this the sagacious insect has the means of avoiding, and, by availing itself of some well-known philosophical principles, constructs for itself an apartment, in which it resides in comfort and security. The following is the process :-It first spins loose threads, in various directions, to the leaves of water plants—which may be called the framework of the chamber-and over them spreads a transparent varnish, resembling liquid glass, which issues from the middle of its spinners, and which is so elastic as to be capable of great expansion and contraction. The spider then spreads over its abdomen a little of the same material, and ascends to the surface. The precise mode in which a bubble of air is drawn beneath the gummy matter is not accurately known. Loaded, however, with the material for its little mansion, which, to the spectator looks like shining quicksilver, the spider plunges to the bottom, and, with as much dexterity as a chemist transfers gas into a gas-holder, introduces the bubble of air beneath the

roof prepared for its reception. This manoeuvre is repeated ten or twelve times, until at length, in about a quarter of an hour, as much air is obtained as is sufficient to expand the apartment to its proposed extent, and the industrious little builder now finds itself in possession of a perfect air-built dwelling, affording a commodious and dry retreat in the very midst of water. Here the inhabitant reposes, unmoved by the storms that agitate the surface of the pool, and devours its prey at ease and in safety. The water-spider becomes dormant during winter, and lodges in empty shells, which it dexterously closes up with a web.

According to Kirby and Spence, a very large aquatic spider, of undetermined species, has often been noticed in the fen ditches of Norfolk. This creature actually forms a raft, for the purpose of obtaining its prey with greater facility. Keeping its station upon a ball of weeds, about three inches in diameter, probably held together by slight silken cords, it is wafted along the surface of the water upon this floating island, which it quits the moment it sees a drowning insect. The booty thus seized it devours at leisure upon its raft, under which it retires when alarmed by any danger. It would thus appear that we have not only weavers, trappers, hunters, aeronauts, and divers, but piratical cruisers, that act the part of sea-kings within their little domains.

THE TARENTULA.

This spider-the Aranea tarentula of Linnæus, and the Lycosa tarentula of modern naturalists-is one that can lay claim to something like a classic history, being the source of a superstition very prevalent in southern Italy. It derives its name from Tarentum, in the neighbourhood of which it was first observed, and is regarded as the most poisonous of the family, its bite being sometimes fatal to man. The following particulars of its natural history are derived from the sketch of M. Leon Dufour, published in 1834. The tarentula is chiefly met with in the south of Europe.

To understand its manners fully, it is necessary to notice the peculiarities of its structure. The jaws and feet are large and strong; the second joint of the legs, and the first of the feet, are furnished with long stiff spurs, Imoveable at their base, which are of much use to the animal in seizing and holding its prey. The first two pair of feet are furnished underneath with a down, arranged like a brush, which the tarentula employs in making its toilet, and in assisting it to walk on smooth surfaces; finally, the feet are terminated with strong claws. It prefers inhabiting dry arid situations. The cylindrical burrow which it forms is about an inch in diameter, and sunk to the depth of a foot be

Tarentula.