110 THE NATURALIST IN NICAEAGUA. [Ch. VII. 



around them ; and their long legs quickly take them 

 out of danger. Sometimes I tried to chase one of them 

 up to a corner where on the wall a large cockroach- 

 eating spider stood motionless, looking out for his prey ; 

 the cockroach would rush away from me in the greatest 

 fear ; but as soon as it came within a foot of its mortal 

 foe nothing would force it onwards, but back it would 

 double, facing all the danger from me rather than ad- 

 vance nearer to its natural enemy. 



To return to the spiders : besides the large owner and 

 manufacturer of each web who was stationed near its 

 centre, there were on the outskirts several very small 

 ones, belonging, I think, to two different species, one of 

 which was probably the male of a Thomisus, the males in 

 this genus being much smaller than the females. I 

 sometimes threw a fly into one of the webs : the large 

 spicier would seize it and commence sucking its blood. 

 The small ones, attracted by the sight of the prey, would 

 advance cautiously from the circumference, but generally 

 stop short about half-way up the web, evidently afraid to 

 come within reach of the owner ; thus having to content 

 themselves with looking at the provisions, like hungry 

 urchins nosing the windows of an eating-house. Some- 

 times one would advance closer, but the owner would* 

 when it came within reach, quickly lift up one of its feet 

 and strike at it, like a feeding horse kicking at another 

 that came near its provender, and the little intruder 

 would have to retire discomfited. These little spiders 

 probably feed on minute insects entangled in the web, 

 too small for the consideration of the huge owner, to 

 whom they may be of assistance in clearing the web. 



Soon after crossing the muddy Artigua below Pavon, 



