324 Mr. W. S. MacLeay on Bird-catching Spiders* 



XXXIX. — On doubts respecting the Existence of Bird- catch- 

 ing Spiders. By W. S. MacLeay, Esq., F.L.S., &c. 



To Richard Taylor, Esq. 



Dear Sir, 



Some time in the beginning of 1840 I observed here, in the 

 grounds of Elizabeth Bay, a young bird suspended in the 

 geometrical web of an enormous spider which belongs to the 

 same section as the European Epeira diadema. Although 

 very common in the neighbourhood of Sidney, it remains as 

 yet an un described species. The bird was the Zoster ops dor- 

 salis (of Vigors and Horsfield), which is so destructive to fruit 

 in the gardens of this colony, and from the state of its feathers 

 was evidently just flown from the nest. It was, when observed, 

 already half-eaten, and the spider was in the act of sucking 

 its juices. It appeared to have been dead two or three days. 

 On recounting the circumstances to my father, he told me 

 that he had already been witness of 'a similar fact. Having 

 occasion about that time to write to Mr. Shuckard on another 

 subject, I mentioned the fact to him, being anxious, from the 

 love of truth, to retract a remark which I had made in a paper 

 of mine printed in the Transactions of the Zoological Society 

 some years before, namely, that " I disbelieved the existence 

 of any bird-catching spider." 



I have long desisted from noticing mis-statements of what 

 I have published ; because I now always hope that a reference 

 to my publication will enable unprejudiced persons to arrive 

 at the truth of my meaning. It is very different however with 

 respect to my private letters ; and I find, on a perusal of Mr. 

 Swainson's late volume on Entomology in Lardner's Cyclo- 

 paedia, that Mr. Shuckard, in referring to the above-men- 

 tioned private letter, has so singularly misunderstood my 

 meaning, as to leave me no other resource than to request of 

 you to publish in your e Annals' the following correction of 

 his mistakes. 



Mr. Shuckard (page 382} says, that f. the fact of Mygale 

 catching birds in their nets and feeding upon them has been 

 doubted; but the probability of this has been substantiated 

 and confirmed by a communication recently received from 

 W. S. MacLeay, Esq., who informs us, that in the vicinity of 

 Sidney he has met with a true bird-catching spider ; ha- 

 ving himself found one of the Epeiridce actually devouring the 

 young of a Gasterops that had no doubt lately flown from the 

 nest ; and which is not a solitary instance, as his father had 

 previously observed a similar fact. He therefore retracts his 



