430 Dr. Heineken on the Reproduction of 



" the mode in which this takes place was first made known by that ao- 

 ** curate observer of nature, Sir J. Banks. As he was writing one 

 " evening in his study, one of the web-spinning spiders, of more than 

 *.' the middle size, passed over some papers on the table, holding a Jly 

 " in its mouth. Much surprised to see a spider of this description 

 " walking about with its prei/,'*^ " he caught it, and placed it v/ithin a 

 " glass for examination, when, instead of eight, he perceived it had 

 " but three legs, which accounted for the inability of the creature to 

 " spin its web ; but the curious circumstance of its having changed its 

 " usual economy, and having become a hunting instead of a spinning 

 *' spider,^* " induced him to keep the animal in the glass.'*'' " On 

 " the following morning it ate two flies given to it,^^ &c. " Soon after 

 " its confinement, it attempted to form a web on the side of the vessel, 

 " but performed the business very slowly and clumsily." " In about a 

 " fortnight it had completed ct small web, upon which it generally sat. 

 " A month after being caught it shed its skin.'''' " Jlfter this change 

 " five new legs appeared." " The web was now increased, and the 

 " animal continued immoveably sitting on it in the day-time, unless 

 " drawn from it, or attracted by ?ifly thrown to it as its usual provision. 

 " Twenty-nine days afterwards it again lost its skin, leaving the slough 

 " hanging in the web, opposite to a hollow cell it had woven.^^ " The legs 

 " were now larger than before the change of skin.'' ^ " The animal now 

 " increased its web, and being put into a small bowl, as a more commo- 

 " dious residence, soon renewed a better web than thefirst,^'' &c. &c. 



I have marked by italics those parts of the above abridged quotation to 

 which I wish particularly to call attention. It was not what I believe is 

 generally understood by the term a weaving spider, but only a tube-maker 

 (" it had woven a hollow cell, ^'' J and the latter always make a scanty and 

 imperfect web, compared with that of the geometrical weavers. Its hav- 

 ing " difly in its mouth'' was no proof that it had captured that fly after 

 the manner of a hunter : it is more probable, either that it was induced 

 by hunger to put up with a dead fly which had fallen in its way, or that 

 in seizing a live one entangled in its imperfect web, that structure had 

 given way with them both, and being unable, from its crippled state, to 



