192 



THE COMMON SPIDERS 



herself. This spider matures late in the autumn or early in 

 the summer, and makes large, loose, and transparent cocoons, 

 hung near the webs. 



Argyroepeira hortorum. — This is a green and silver-white 

 spider, with slender legs and a long abdomen resembling 



Tetragnatha. The 

 body of the female is 

 about a quarter of an 

 inch long, the abdo- 

 men twice as long as 

 wide, and blunt at both 

 ends (fig. 447). The 

 first pair of legs are 

 twice as long as the 

 body, the second a 

 fourth shorter (fig. 

 446). The legs are 

 bright green, darker 

 toward the ends. The 

 cephalothorax is green, 

 with a darker stripe in 

 the middle and one on 

 each side. The upper 

 part of the abdomen 

 is silver white, with a 

 dark line through the 

 middle, giving off four 

 pairs of branches at the 

 sides. At the sides of 

 the abdomen are yel- 

 low stripes extending 

 downward, and toward the hinder end two bright copper-red 

 spots. The colors of the under side are as bright as those 



Fig. 448. 



Argiope riparia in the middle of the web. 

 Natural size. 



