THE EPEIRID.E 



169 



bright yellow or orange color, with brown or purple markings 

 (tig. 398). The cephalothorax is dull yellow, with slightly 

 darker lines in the middle and at the sides. The femur and 

 patella of all the legs are bright orange, darker toward the ends. 

 The other joints are white, with brown ends. The light parts 

 of the abdomen are bright yellow marked with brown. In the 

 middle is a narrow deeply scalloped stripe, bordered by a wide 

 yellow line, outside of which are oblique yellow and brown 

 markings. In the middle of the stripe is a row of light spots, 

 each connected at the sides with two others, smaller and round, 

 forming a large figure at the anterior end. On the under side 

 the sternum is brown and bright yellow in the middle. The 

 abdomen is dark brown, with two semi- 

 circular yellow spots. The males (fig. 

 399) are about half as long as the 

 females. The tibiae of the second legs 

 are thickened, and the spines on the 

 inner side short and stout. The coxae 

 of the second legs have a 

 conical spine near the base. 

 This spider lives in bushes 

 three or four feet high. It 

 makes a tent of leaves (fig. 

 397), in which it usually 

 stands out of sight, holding 

 a thread which leads to the 

 center of the nest. Young 

 spiders make larger tents in 

 proportion to their size and 

 make them entirely of silk 

 (fig. 400). In Massachusetts and Connecticut it matures about 

 the first of September. It is found all over the country, and 

 is probably a variety of the European Epeira marmorea. 



Figs. 398, 399. Epeira insularis, enlarged 

 twice. — 398, female. 399, male. 



