290 DR. JOHNSTON ON THE ACARIDES OF BERWICKSHIRE. 



pressure still further backwards: Venter paler, convex, marked 

 with two ridges across the corslet, a deep cleft down the pos- 

 terior half, and two foveolae near the vent : Falpi porrect, 

 pediform but short, stout, very hirsute, pointed, 4-jointetl, 

 the second joint large, the terminal with a dark claw and 

 with a moveable pear-shaped appendage suspended under- 

 neath : Le^s 8, alike, in two distant sets, the anterior pair 

 stoutest and rather longer than the posterior pair, the second 

 and third pairs shorter and nearly equal, all of them filiform, 

 densely hirsute, 7-jointed, the joints short, becoming almost 

 insensibly longer, the ultimate elongate, obtuse, and termi- 

 nated with two small curved smooth claws moving in the 

 same direction. — The whole insect is thickly clothed with 

 short hairs ; those on the back are capitate and barbed with 

 numerous erecto-patent spinules, but the hairs of the venter 

 and limbs are sharp-pointed, although equally spinulose : the 

 hairs on the inner aspect of the legs are longer than those on 

 the outer edge. 



Lister, who has given an excellent description of it, tells 

 us that this insect is called a Tant in England. Our children 

 call it the Soldier, from its scarlet colour ; and from its bril- 

 liancy it draws their notice and admiration.* It is often to 

 be seen in spring and early summer creeping across footpaths 

 and in gardens ; but abounds more on sandy parts of the sea- 

 shoji-e. It creeps with a moderate degree of quickness, and, 

 when touched or alarmed, simulates death like a spider, fold- 

 ing the legs curiously under the belly. I find it mentioned 

 by Mr Stewart that it " feeds on young caterpillars, on their 

 emerging from the egg state." 



The following paragraph in the " Enquiries into Vulgar and 

 Common Errors" of the learned Sir Thomas Brown, relates to 

 this insect : — " There is found in the summer a kind of spi- 

 der called a Tainct, of a red colour, and so little of body that 

 ten of the largest will hardly outweigh a grain ; this by 

 country people is accounted a deadly poison unto cows and 

 horses ; who, if they suddenly die, and swell thereon, ascribe 

 their death hereto, and will commonly say, they have licked 

 a Tainct. Now to satisfie the doubts of men. we have called 

 this tradition unto experiment ; we have given hereof unto 



" • La vivacity dc sa teinte rouge, I'aspect velouttJ de sa robe, sa frequence 

 fixent fr^quemment rattention dcs enfans, qui lui donncnt dans beancoup 

 d'endroits dcs noms particnlicrs." — Qervais. 



