NOTES ON LIFE-HISTORIES OF AUSTRALIAN AEANEID^— RAINBOW. 141 



been observed, take the form of an irregular mesh, and have an 

 ill-defined tube. The cocoon, which is flat and flocculent, is 

 attached to the centre of the web, like those of Amaurobius. 



Hints on Collecting AraneidcK. — From time to time friends of 

 the Museum are good enough to forward to the Trustees, by 

 way of donations, specimens of Araneidse. It frequently happens 

 that those who do so would take a greater interest in collecting 

 if they had some little knowledge to guide them : — What to do, 

 and where to look. It will therefore serve a useful purpose if 

 a few hints, indicating the best means to be adopted when 

 collecting, are published. With this object in view, the following 

 directions have been drawn up to assist those who may be willing 

 and anxious to help, but who lack the necessary knowledge. 



In the first place, Spiders may be sought for in every conceivable 

 position — OQ the ground, under logs, stones, and debris, in crevices 

 and fissures of rocks, amongst herbage, upon plants, shrubs, and 

 trees, under bark, in dark and light situations, and near water- 

 courses ; indeed it would be hard to say where they are not to 

 be found. But in making a collection, it is of equally great 

 importance to obtain specimens of architecture or industry, as to 

 collect the animals themselves, and where convenient both should 

 be taken, and notes upon the surroundings made. 



With a little practice, Spiders may be easily collected. Let the 

 collector provide himself with a conveniently-sized bottle, having 

 a large mouth, and containing some spirit, some chip or glass- 

 topped pill-boxes of assorted sizes, a piece of card, pair of fine- 

 pointed forceps, a camel-hair brush, a net, and a lead pencil. The 

 bottle should be attached to the waist by a piece of string, so 

 as to allow the hands to remain free, and the cork should be 

 large enough to allow of its being tied to the neck of the 

 bottle. This precaution will prevent the cork being mislaid, 

 and so avoid not only vexation but waste of time in searching 

 for it when the collector should be busy hunting for specimens. 

 Always take the bottle when collecting, but do not be a slave 

 to it by placing everything obtained therein. For instance, 

 when a Spider is discovered that has a particularly interest- 

 ing web, one of the boxes should be used, and a brief 

 note written on the bottom. By abbreviating words, a great 

 deal of useful information may be cramped into a very small 

 space. Thus, for instance, "Irreg. w., tub. ret., coc. susp." might' 

 be neatly written, and would mean "irregular web, tubular 

 retreat, cocoon suspended ■" " U. bark, coc. attach, tree" would 

 read, "Under bark, cocoon attached to trunk of tree ;" "Orb. 

 hor." or " Orb. perp." would indicate that the web was a round, 

 orbicular one, and that it was suspended either horizontally or 

 perpendicularly as the case may be. Other abreviations will 



