8 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER 



finch (Fringilla teijdeana) peculiar to the island of Teneriffe, is 

 to be obtained only in some pine woods near Orotava, and is 



rare. 



In the Cochineal plantations a spider (I believe an Upeira) is 

 very common, which makes a horizontally extended web, com- 

 posed of fine square meshes. The web is supported by sus- 

 pending threads in the midst of a globular labyrinth of irregu- 

 larly disposed fibres. In the centre the horizontal net is drawn 

 upwards into a short conical tube, at the end of which is an 

 opening. The female always occupies a position immediately 

 over this hole, which is apparently intended to allow of easy 

 access to either side of the net. The egg bags are suspended in 

 a vertical line immediately over the opening, and are often 

 as many as four in number. In those I examined, the upper- 

 most bag always contained fresh eggs, the lower fully developed 

 young, and the others two intermediate stages. The male lives 

 in the lower part of the irregular globular mass, and is very 

 much smaller than the female, but is marked with brilliant 

 silver patches on the abdomen. 



In one of the churches at Santa Cruz is a flag taken by the 

 Spanish from Nelson, and there preserved as a trophy. The 

 ship left Teneriffe on February 14th, and reaching the trade 

 winds on February 20th, sailed pleasantly before them across 

 the Atlantic to the Virgin Islands. 



Off Sombrero Island, March 15th, 1813. — "Whilst dredging 



was proceeding off the Island of Sombrero, on the approach to 

 St. Thomas, two sharks (Carcharias brachiurus) were caught 

 with a hook and line. One of these had the greater portion of 

 one of its pectoral fins bitten off, there being a clean semi- 

 circular cut surface, where the jaws of another shark had closed 

 and nipped it. through. Attached to the sharks were several 

 " Sucker-fish" (JZchineis remora), as commonly is the case. 

 Sometimes these "Suckers" drop off as the shark is hauled on 

 board. Sometimes they remain adherent, and are secured with 

 their companion. In this case four out of six " Suckers " were 

 obtained with the two sharks. They were seen to shift their 

 position on the sharks frequently as these struggled in the water 

 fast hooked. 



