104 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP [1885. 



Washington city, lie often sees such curled leaves suspended 

 conspicuously amid the verdureless branches, and had learned to 

 recognize them easily as the winter-quarters of this species. It 

 of course follows that, either from purpose or by the accidental 

 unwrapping of the threads during continual journeys back and 

 forth trailing her drag-line behind her, the spider prevents the leaf 

 from falling. 



A vast colony of Epeira vulgaris inhabits the boat-houses 

 grouped around the inlet wharf at Atlantic City. Dr. McCook 

 stated that he had once visited this colony, May 22, 1882. The 

 season had been a remarkably backward one, cold, and very rainy. 

 The trees on the island had not yet leaved ; insect life had 

 scarcely appeared ; in short the season had advanced little further 

 than the first of May in ordinary years. The inlet colony, how- 

 ever, had already appeared in large numbers, and had swung their 

 orbs between the timbers of the houses and the piles which sup- 

 ported them. These were of various sizes, full-grown, half-grown, 

 and young several weeks out of the cocoons. All the cocoons — 

 which were thickly laid along the angles of the joists and cor- 

 nices — were empty. The number of young spiders was, however, 

 remarkably small, a fact which he could account for only on the 

 supposition that in the absence of the usual insect food supply, 

 the adults had been driven to prey upon the young and the 3'oung 

 upon each other to an unusual degree. Many of the spiders were 

 hanging in the centre of their round snares. Others — the greater 

 part, indeed — were sheltered within a thick tubular or arched 

 screen, open at both ends, which was bent in the angles of the 

 woodwork, or beneath an irregular rectangular silken patch 

 stretched across a corner. 



Many others were burrowed behind cocoons, quite covered up 

 by the thick flossy fibre of which these are composed. In this 

 condition the}' had undoubtedly spent the winter. He had found 

 examples of E. strix blanketed in precisely the same way during 

 the winter months. Unfortunately he had never been able to 

 make a mid-winter journey to this favorite spider-haunt, in order 

 to see the araneads in extreme hibernation ; but he asked some of 

 the young boatmen what the spiders did in winter-time. " They 

 crawl into their bags," one answered, referring to the screens 

 and tubes above described, "and stay there. They came out 

 about a month ago (the last of April), and then ' shed.' A 

 couple of weeks ago the sides of the houses were all covered with 

 these ' sheds ' " — by which, of course, the young man meant their 

 moults. 



The following was ordered to be printed : — 



