The Crab Spider 



The fact that the Bee-huntress carries a heavy 

 paunch is no reason to refer to this as a dis- 

 tinctive characteristic. Nearly all Spiders 

 have a voluminous belly, a silk-warehouse 

 where, in some cases, the rigging of the net, 

 in others, the swan's down of the nest is 

 manufactured. The Thomisus, a first-class 

 nest-builder, does like the rest: she hoards in 

 her abdomen, but without undue display of 

 obesity, the wherewithal to house her family 

 snugly. 



Can the expression onustus refer simply to 

 her slow and sidelong walk? The explanation 

 appeals to me, without satisfying me fully. 

 Except in the case of a sudden alarm, every 

 Spider maintains a sober gait and a wary 

 pace. When all is said, the scientific term is 

 composed of a misconception and a worthless 

 epithet. How difficult it is to name animals 

 rationally ! Let us be indulgent to the nomen- 

 clator: the dictionary is becoming exhausted 

 and the constant flood that requires cata- 

 loguing mounts incessantly, wearing out our 

 combinations of syllables. 



As the technical name tells the reader 

 nothing, how shall he be informed? I see but 

 one means, which is to invite him to the May 



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