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HAEDWICKE'S SCIENCE - GOSS IP. 



[July 1, 1SG7. 



Cheating a Spider. — One clay last autumn on 

 going into one of the greenhouses, I noticed a fine 

 spider web stretched between the lower part of a 

 wire basket, and some long depending stems of the 

 Ivy Snap Dragon hanging over its sides. A tray 

 of silver sand standing near suggested to me the 

 idea of testing for myself, the different adhesive 

 powers of the concentric and radiating threads of 

 the web. I took a small pinch and from a little 

 distance gently threw it on to the web, which was 

 immediately speckled all over almost as one sees 

 them glistening with dew on an early morning. 

 There was far less sand retained by the radiating 

 threads, than by the concentric ones, but still there 

 was some. Whether my friend the spider recog- 

 nized the true state of affairs, or imagined the 

 agitation was caused by some unhappy fly, whose 

 intrusion he was prepared to resent, I cannot tell ; 

 but at all events, he was down "like a shot" into 

 the centre of the web, and I imagined was some- 

 what non-plussed at its remaining perfectly motion- 

 less ; with its anterior pair of legs it then seized 

 two of the radii, and gave the web a good shake. 

 As this elicited no response, it turned, and rapidly 

 retracing its steps, took up its position at the 

 bottom of the flower pot. In a few seconds I 

 treated it to a little more sand, and again almost 

 too quickly to be followed by the eye it was in the 

 centre of the web, and once more made use of the 

 same shaking process to ascertain what was the 

 matter. Eour times I threw in the sand, and four 

 times it responded by putting in an appearance, but 

 the fifth time it seemed to have gained wisdom by 

 experience for it would not stir. I waited for a 

 longer interval, and then tried it again, but the fact 

 still seemed fresh upon its memory and it remained 

 in statu quo. By this time the web contained about 

 as much sand as it comfortably could, so as I 

 resolved to try the experiment next day, I thought 

 it would be as well that we should have a fresh 

 web, and so swept away the old one. Next 

 morning on paying my visit I found a first-class 

 web in about the same position, but I could not 

 detect the whereabouts of the spider ; however, no 

 sooner had I made advances by an offering of sand, 

 than he took the field as before, prepared to wage 

 an exterminating war with all or airy trespassers 

 on his domain. I was called away just then, and 

 when I next visited the place there was no trace of 

 either spicier or web. I do not know the specific 

 name of the creature, but it was a small black one 

 of the geometrical kind. I was not aware till I 

 read your last number, that there was any difficulty 

 in cheating a spider, but I firmly believe this one 

 was taken in. I am not in a position to speak 

 positively, and should feel some diffidence in doing 

 so in the face of Professor Rennie and the Rural 

 D.D., but I am of opinion that as the Notonecta 



will seize the finger, or indeed almost anything if 

 dipped gently in the water, it does so with the idea 

 that it is going to have a meal ; and as the death- 

 watch (be it Auobium or Atropos) will tap several 

 consecutive times at a good imitation of its call (as 

 I have proved on several occasions), I imagine it 

 believes itself answered by one of its own species, 

 and so I believe that the light falling of some 

 grains of sand upon a spider's web produces a 

 vibration so similar to the contact of a fly, that the 

 difference cannot always be recognized by the 

 spider, cunning though he be. — Frederic Henry 

 Ward, Manor House, Poplar. 



Striped Hawk-Moth. — In the June number of 

 Science Gossip, it is mentioned that a specimen 

 of that rare moth the Striped Hawk (Deilephila 

 Livornica), was found this spring in Ireland. I have 

 also been so fortunate as to obtain a fine specimen 

 of this moth, which was taken at Predbury, near 

 Stockport, on the 27th of April last, a remarkably 

 early time of the year. It appeared to have just 

 emerged from the chrysalis, and was caught in a 

 garden on a window sill, by a friend who did not 

 know at the time the rarity of the specimen. — 

 William P. Marshall. 



H air-Worms. — The violent thunderstorm ac- 

 companied by a deluge of rain, which burst over the 

 metropolis in the early morning of Monday, 3rd June, 

 was followed in the course of a few hours by a 

 curious phenomenon, but rarely observed. The rose- 

 bushes and other shrubs in various gardens at Ken- 

 nington, Brixton, and other southern suburbs, 

 were seen to be swarming with small slender hair- 

 worms (about 2 or 3 inches long, and not thicker 

 than a lace-pin). These creatures are occasionally 

 found in the earth, but they are parasitic in the 

 bodies of different kinds of insects. A correspondent 

 from the neighbourhood of Carlisle, in a letter also 

 dated 3rd June, informs us that he had found a 

 number of these creatures in his garden, stating 

 that " they come out in quantities in our garden on 

 damp evenings. They are long hairlike-looking 

 worms, from 3 to 4 inches in length, rather pale in 

 colour, and their habit is to wind halt' of their length 

 round some leaf or stalk, raid make a circular sort of 

 motion in the air with the other halt'," Their 

 history is very obscure, but we believe they are in 

 no wise injurious to plants. — /. 0. W., in Gardener's 

 Chronicle. 



[See also Science-Gossif, for 1S65, pp. 107, 197, 

 2S8, and 1SC6, p. 255.] 



Gannet and Diver.— A Gannet was caught 

 alive at Coggeshall, Essex, a short time since, as was 

 also a Black-throated Diver. Both of these birds 

 are considered rare visitors iu that neighbourhood. 

 • — C. Denny. 



