82 The Structure and Habits of Spiders. 



species of Erigone, and by the young of many 

 spiders of all families, that, when adult, would 

 be too large for it. The majority of the spiders 

 flying in autumn are the young of several 

 species of Lycosa, that seem to spend the 

 greater part of October and November trying 

 to get as far above ground as possible. The 

 best places to watch them are garden-fences in 

 cities, where they often swarm, and can be more 

 distinctly seen than on bushes. Large num- 

 bers can always be seen, for example, on the 

 fences around the Common in Boston, every 

 fine day in autumn, until there has been a long 

 period of cold weather. Other species fly in 

 the early part of summer. 



Mr. Blackwall observed in Manchester, Eng., 

 Oct. i, 1826, a calm sunny day, that, just before 

 noon, the fields and hedges were covered over 

 with cobwebs. So thick were they, that, in 

 crossing a small pasture, his feet were covered 

 with them. They had evidently been made in 

 a very short time, as early in the morning they 

 were not conspicuous enough to attract his 

 attention, and the clay before could not have 

 existed at all, as a high wind blew all day. At 



