536 DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME NEW ARANEID.E, 



weaving spiders in the characteristic spinning-work of the two 

 groups."* • 



In a former paperf I described and figured the leaf-rolled nest 

 of Epeira wagneri, Rainb. During the month of December last 

 year, I had the opportunity of studying the life-history of the 

 young of this species, and noting their progressive development. 

 The first specimen I examined, and which was somewhat the 

 youngest of the new brood, the spiderling had constructed a 

 silken cell on the spur of a branchlet of a ti-tree, the form and 

 architectui-e being very similar to the nest of a Drassid; another 

 {somewhat older) had selected the under surface of a leaf of a 

 turpentine tree, across the centre of which it had spun a simple 

 sheet of web; this nest was so constructed that its tenant could 

 make an exit either at one end or the other, and was very primi- 

 tive in design; a third individual took up its abode upon the 

 upper surface of a leaf of the same tree, and had consti"ucted its 

 nest in much the same manner as the foregoing; a fourth had 

 selected the underside of a small leaf of a turpentine tree that 

 was suffering from the depredations of some insect pest, and from 

 the effects of which it was curled and twisted out of its natui*al 

 shape. This naturally formed a good shelter both from the weather 

 and insectivorous birds. The nest consisted of a rather lono; silken 

 tube, the entrance to which was towards the apex of the leaf. 

 Other individuals, somewhat older, made their nests similar to 

 those of the adult spiders, but always in proportion to their size. 

 These they discard for larger habitations as they increase in bulk. 

 One web that I examined had two of these leaf -nests, the smaller 

 of which had evidently been very recently discarded for a larger 

 tenement; the proof of this lay in the fact of the presence of the 

 exuvife from a recent moult. All the leaf-nests described were 



* Loc. cit. pp. 124-132. McCook describes at considerable length and 

 illustrates with numerous figures the webs of several American spiders of 

 the genera Epeira and Liiiyphia, the object of wliich is to trace an 

 analogy between the spinning- work of the two groups [q.r.]. 



t P.L.S.N.S.W. 1896, pp. 335, 336, pi. xix. figs. 2a, 2b, 2c. 



