2 ME. BELL ON THE HABITS OF AEGYEONETA AQUATICA. 



at least one larger in size, has the body white or grey, with a 

 beautiful orange-coloured band along the whole length of the back. 

 This band is angulated, consisting of a series of squares, placed 

 obliquely and connected at their angles with an edging of white ; 

 and on each side of it are two smaller black ones similarly con- 

 stituted ; the limbs are banded with brownish marks. The full- 

 grown spider is of a beautiful black ; the golden band is exchanged 

 for an orange-red one of the same shape ; but as the successive 

 coats are thrown off, it ceases to be marked at the thoracic end, 

 being visible only towards the tail. The body of the female is 

 larger and rounder. This spider is reputed to be venomous by 

 the natives, who will not touch them on any account ; but how far 

 this is really the case I am scarcely able to determine, having 

 only met with one European, who affirmed that he had been 

 bitten by one, and had had an inflamed leg in consequence ; but 

 his belief in the cause of this inflammation was founded on na- 

 tive authority. I have hitherto only been able myself to make 

 with them the following experiment : — I placed a lively unhurt 

 mouse in a glass bottle with a fine Katepo, and by dint of 

 shaking the bottle, at length induced the spider to bite the mouse 

 in two places, first on the tail, and secondly on the paw, which 

 latter injury the mouse resented by biting the spider and killing 

 it. The mouse was kept supplied with air, and was found dead 

 within eighteen hours, its body being wet, as though a quantity of 

 urine had been discharged over it. The bottle was quite dry and 

 clear before the spider and mouse were placed in it. 



Bemarks on some Habits of Argyroneta aquatica. By Thomas 

 Bell, Esq., Pres. L.S. 



[Eead November 20th, 1855.] 

 Ik consequence of some observations which were made by Mr. 

 Gosse at the last Meeting of the Society, in which he stated his 

 opinion that the Argyroneta never fills its bell with air brought 

 from the surface, but that it becomes gradually filled with oxygen 

 evolved from the vegetation casually going on beneath the web, I 

 immediately obtained several specimens of the animal for the pur- 

 pose of setting the question at rest, and the following are the 

 results of my observations : — 



No. 1. Placed in an upright cylindrical vessel of water, in which 

 was a rootless plant of Stratiotes, on the afternoon of Nov. 14. 

 By the morning it had constructed a very perfect oval cell filled 



