Spiders, like must rapacious animals, live solitary, except in pairing time. The female, generally tin 

 stronger, kills ami eats the male, whenever she can get one. When cue spider meets another it is a sure 

 fight to the death. The}- resemble cats in character and habits; some wait patiently for hours for an 

 insect to become entangled in their webs; others creep up to their victims, now and then halting, watching 

 for an opportunity, and calculating the distance suddenly jumping on them. They arc as fierce and 

 bloodthirsty as a cat in attacking a weaker antagonist, and as cowardly in shrinking and retreating from 

 a dangerous foe like a bee or wasp. 



The spiders have been divided into two groups, the t'irst containing the roving spiders which make no 



webs for catching their prey. These spiders are found wandering in the grass, under stones and u 1- 



piles, on bushes, or sitting before their holes catching passing insects. Some of 

 them spin webs for the protection of their eggs and young, for their dwelling-, to 

 change their skins, or to hibernate, while others spin tubes under stones in holes, 

 etc. These spiders also spin threads in falling or jumping. 



Tube web. 



fe^ 



b 







, 



.\^ti',-H(i. Epcira. Uloborus. />:, '\.'ia. 



The second group contains the sitting spiders, which weave a net to catch their prey ami remain on or 

 near it, to watch. Kach kind constructs its net on a different plan. The grass spider spins an horixontal 



(5) 



