BY W. J. RAINBOW. 



547 



hatched out and until they are old enough to shift for themselves. 

 As with other species, the young of A. hastatus remain for a long 

 time with the mother. A further point of interest in connection 

 with this species is that the female uses the same nest for succes- 

 sive broods, and that frequently after the young have been 

 hatched out from one cocoon, and before they are old enough to 

 start in life for themselves, another batch of eggs is deposited. 

 Upon the approach of danger the young ones seek shelter among 

 the labyrinthine threads of the huge structure. As an instance 

 of the cannabalism of A. hastatus, Wagner states that he has 

 found it in the nest of A. falcatus, Clerck, feeding upon the eggs 

 contained in the latter's cocoon, after having devoured the 

 rightful owner.* 



In respect of the Attiche it only remains to be added that 

 among those species that do not construct a retreat in which to 

 shelter from predatory foes and inclement weather, or to seek 

 repose during the night, some of the members suspend themselves 

 by means of a thread from the branches of shrubs. In this 

 position, with their legs folded across the clypeus, they are not 

 only enabled to pass the night in peace, but also enjoy complete 

 immunity from their natural enemies. Anyone who will take 

 the trouble during the summer time to examine the shrubs of our 

 scrub lands, or even plants in gardens, may see numbers of these 

 spiders in the position described. Wagner, in support of his 

 statement, says : "I have had occasion to observe this phenomenon 

 in nature, as well as in captivity."! 



TnOMISIDiE. 



The spiders of this family are, in popular parlance, known as 

 " Crab-spiders," owing to the form and arrangement of their legs, 

 which are laterigrade, and which present much diversity in their 

 relative proportions ; classical naturalists, however, have named 



* Lor. at., p. 75. 

 + Loc. cit. footnote on p. 67. 



