340 SOME NEW ARANEID^ OF N.S.AV., 



contour of the body and the manner of carrying the first pair of 

 legs, so as to appear like antenna?, and which, ant-like, they keep 

 in motion -when running about, make the deception complete. 

 All observers, whose works I have consulted, with the exception 

 of Dr. E. G. Peckham, are unanimous in their testimony as to the 

 manner in which these ant-mimicking Attidce carry the first pair 

 of legs. Of those species I have observed mimicking ants each 

 carried the first pair of legs in imitation of antenn;e. But Dr. 

 Peckham says that an American species ( S i/nagcles picritn) "holds 

 up its second pair of legs to represent antennae." Tull Walsh 

 considers that this peculiaritj^ of habit may be accounted for by 

 a difference in the relative lengths of the legs, although another 

 American species (Si/neviosyna formica) observed by Peckham* to 

 use its second pair of legs in imitation of antennae has the usual 

 formula of legs — 4, 1, 3, 2. 



Tull Walsh in an interesting paperf says : — " I liaAC noticed 

 that the spiders are probably protected from birds and other 

 enemies by their resemblance to ants, but there can be no doubt 

 that frequently they also thereby gain another very considerable 

 advantage. The ants with which these spiders most do congre- 

 gate are fairly omnivorous feeders, but show a decided ^^reference 

 for sweet juices often to be found exuding from trees, fruit, or 

 flowers. To these juices come also flies, small beetles and other 

 insects which form the natural prey of the spiders, and which do 

 not, under the circumstances, particularly fear the ants. Thus 

 while the flies are sucking up sweetness in company with the ants, 

 the spider is no doubt able under its disguise to approach near 

 enough to make a spring upon the unsuspecting victim, and to 

 fix his sharp falces into its body. As regards the ants themselves, 

 the)^ do not seem to take any notice of the spiders, and do not 

 apparently attack them." It would be absurd to suppose that 

 spiders delude the ants by their disguise, on the contrary, it is 



* "Protective Resemblance iu Spiders." Papers of the Nat. Hist. Soc. 

 Wisconsin, 1892, pp. 174-76. 



t Journal of the Asiatic Soc. of Bengal, 1891, No. 1, p. 4. 



