BEHAVIOR OF SPIDERS AND OTHER INSECTS 403 



succulent crown of the cocoanut tree. With its horn, the beetle 

 cuts a gash in the tree and gets access to the juice, which is its 

 only food. The succulent crown is the vital part of the tree and 

 one or two beetles will kill a tree in a year. 



A fly robbing a spider is about the last thing one would imag- 

 ine, yet Frost (46) noticed three flies of the species Desmome- 

 topa latipes Meigen dart under the legs of a spider (Phidippus 

 multiformis Emerton) and suck the juices of a bug upon which 

 the arachnid was feeding. 



It has long been known that certain tropical spiders prey 

 upon small birds. Now Chubb (24) informs us that there is 

 a large spider (Thalassius spenceri Chubb) which catches small 

 fish and tadpoles. When this spider goes afishing, it rests its 

 hind pair of legs upon a stone and the tips of the other six out- 

 stretched legs upon the water. With its head at about the center 

 of the cordon of legs, the spider awaits developments. The 

 moment a small fish or tadpole appears within range, the legs 

 close about it, like the claws of a trap, and the mandibles deliver 

 a deadly blow. The captive is then dragged to the top of the 

 rock and eaten. Rev. N. Abraham saw this spider catching fish 

 at Greytown and Rev. Pascalis Bonebery observed it catching 

 tadpoles at Marianhill. 



Wheeler (121) describes the mode of defense of the stingless 

 bee Trigona flaveola mediorufa Ckll. When disturbed these bees 

 attack en masse, squirting upon the offender a scalding liquid 

 which has the odor of rancid butter. This fluid is so corrosive 

 that the spots where it touches the skin remain sensitive for 

 several days. Other observers to the contrary, Wheeler insists 

 that this fluid is secreted by an anal gland or glands. 



Fabre (39) describes the food-procuring habits and devices 

 of several species of spiders. His opinion as to how young 

 spiders secure their food is certainly peculiar. It is well known 

 that the eggs of many spiders hatch in the fall and that the young 

 remain in the cocoon until spring. Others emerge from the 

 cocoon and climb upon the back of their mother and remain there 

 for several weeks. According to Fabre's opinion these spider- 

 lings neither increase in weight nor diminish in numbers until 

 after they have taken their " balloon flight ' in the spring. 

 Whence comes their food ? If they do not increase in size there 

 is no urgent need for tissue-building food; but, since they are 



