OF WASHINGTON. 227 
ance and habits of a small spider, which, some years since, web- 
bed and defoliated a peach orchard. Col. Redmond wrote (in 
confirmation of Mr. Ashmead's statements of the leaf-feeding 
habit of this spider at the meeting of the Society in December 
last) as follows : . 
* * * "I can only make a very plain and unscientific statement in 
i-egard to the insects that injured and destroyed my Peach trees at ' Holly- 
wood,' near this city, some years since. 
"These insects made their appearance in great numbers in spring and 
early summer, and I soon began to notice their depredations on my young 
Peen-To and Honey peach trees just after they came into leaf. On exam- 
ination, I saw that the insects were small spiders of a reddish brown or 
yellow color. They preyed upon and destroyed the young leaves very 
rapidly; built nests or hatching-places in the leaves ; gummed these to- 
gether and filled them full of eggs; hatched out thousands of young, and 
continued their depredations. When an attempt was made to catch and 
destroy the old spider, she dropped off the tree and immediately secreted 
herself in the loose earth and grass near the base of the tree. This spider 
was very small, and shy, and quick in her movements. It was extremely 
difficult even to get a sight of her, unless you approached the tree with 
extreme cautidn. The destruction of the tree seemed to be effected by 
eating all the thick portion of the leaf, as a silk-worm eats the mulberry, 
and also by gumming up and sticking the leaves together by means of 
some adhesive secretion. 
" I used Paris Green, sprinkled over the trees, as a remedy; but unfor- 
tunately I used this deadly substance too freely and killed most of my trees 
as well as the spiders: 
" I much regret my inability to give you a regular and correct scientific 
description of this little 'free lance;' and I believe I have recited to you 
all his more salient and striking points. I feel quite positive that the in- 
sect was one of the spider family, though I cannot name nor give a more 
accurate description of it." 
In the discussion of this communication, Dr. Marx stated that 
while spiders may cut oft' leaves and web them together, a study 
of their mouth parts renders it questionable whether any spider 
is phytophagous, which opinion was also held by Mr. W. M. 
Wheeler. Mr. Howard thought that Tortricid larvas, probably 
formerly abundant and overlooked, had attracted the spiders. Dr. 
Marx mentioned seeing a plant in the Smithsonian Grounds 
similarly covered with spiders some years since, and that the plant 
died in the following year. 
