512 THE OALEODES. 



animate hairs. Sometimes it prefers to cling to a wall or fence, and there remains perfectly 

 quiet, with its legs stretched out to their full extent, and occupying a wonderful spread of 

 surface. Sometimes again, especially on windy days, it seeks sheltered spots, such as crevices 

 in old walls, or the rough bark on the leeward side of tree-trunks. 



One summer day, as I was bathing in the river, just below a lasher, I happened to look 

 under the cross-beam of the wood-work, and there saw something which I took for a mass of 

 black horsehair. Wondering how such a substance could get into such a' situation, I went to 

 examine it, and then found that the supposed horsehair was nothing more or less than a legion 

 of Harvest-spiders, all gathered together, their little bodies nearly hidden by their bent legs. 

 There must have been some thousands of the creatures under the beam, all perfectly motionless. 

 An intelligent countryman, to whom I pointed out this curious assemblage, was quite as 

 surprised as myself, never having seen anything of the kind before. 



SEGESTRIUM. Segestria senoculata, Male and female; beneath the position of the eyes. (See page 511.) 



Like many other very long-limbed creatures, the Harvest-spider seems to set little store 

 by its legs, and will throw off one or two of them on the slightest provocation. Indeed, it is 

 not very easy to find a Harvest-spider with all his limbs complete ; and if such a being should 

 be captured, it is nearly certain to shed a leg or two during the process. It appears to be 

 totally indifferent to legs, and will walk off quite briskly with only half its usual complement 

 of limbs. I have even known this arachnid to be deprived of all its legs save one, and to edge 

 itself along by this solitary member, in a manner sufficiently ludicrous. The cast legs contain 

 much irritability, and even after they have been severed from the body continue to bend and 

 straighten themselves for some little time. 



A strange genus, termed Gonoleptes, is closely allied to the Phalangium. These curious 

 spiders have the palpi very broad, very flat, and armed with thorns ; and the body is flat, 

 expanded behind, and covered with a hard shelly skin. The legs are extremely long, and the 

 hinder pair are longer thau the others. All the members of this genus are exotic. 



PSEUDOSCORPIONES. 



THE formidable-looking arachnid GALEODES, which is represented in the accompanying 

 illustration, by no means belies its appearance, but, from many accounts, seems to be a really 

 dangerous creature. It is drawn of its natural size. 



The bite of the Galeodes is much dreaded in the countries where the croature lives, 

 and is said to produce very painful and even dangerous effects. Still, we may leave an 

 ample margin for exaggeration; and when we consider the black catalogue of crimes that 

 are attributed to the newt, the blind-worm, and various other harmless creatures of our own 

 land, we may well imagine that the popular opinion of the Galeodes is not likely to be very 

 favorable. 



The Galeodes is fond of warm, sandy situations, and, like many of the Arachnida, is seldom 

 seen except by night, when it comes from its hiding-place in search of prey. Under such 

 circumstances, it is very likely to retaliate if injured by a bare hand or foot, and to inflict a 

 wound causing considerable pain. There are several species belonging to this genus. 



