THE SPIDERS OF EPPING FOREST. igg 



III.— PRACTICAL WORK. 



Collection of specimens. The apparatus required for the 

 capture of the Araneae is of a most unassuming and inexpensive 

 type. An old umbrelJa should be obtained, and when the district 

 to be visited does not offer facilities for cutting hedge-stakes a 

 stout walking-stick must also be provided. A wide-mouthed, 

 securely corked bottle of methylated spirit will be required, a 

 few dry specimen tubes, a pair of tweezers, a note book, a news- 

 paper and some strong tool which can be employed either for 

 digging or for removing loose bark from tree-trunks. Every 

 likely and unlikely situation should be systematically examined, 

 and it must be remembered that many species will often be 

 discovered under most unexpected conditions. Brick-bats, stones 

 and boards which have lain undisturbed for some time should be 

 carefully inverted and examined, also the holes in decayed tree 

 trunks. Trees, bushes and tall herbage should be beaten or 

 shaken above the umbrella, and grass and low growing plants 

 pulled up and disintegrated over the newspaper. It is most 

 important to recollect that the spiders thus obtained should be 

 handled as little as possible. The neatest method is to hustle 

 the specimen into a dry tube held in the left hand by means of the 

 fingers of the right hand and thence transfer to the spirit bottle, 

 Extremely minute species may be picked up by a wetted finger. 

 The jumping spiders are, without doubt, the most difficult to 

 capture, for beside the fact of their rapid and erratic movements, 

 their bodies are often ornamented with easily-detached scales 

 upon whose presence much of the value and beauty of a specimen 

 depends. 



Examination of Specimens. The method of examination of 

 spirit preserved spiders is of great importance, and I therefore 

 append a few hints. 



A compound microscope must be regarded as a necessity, 

 but a simple and inexpensive stand will meet all requirements. 

 With regard tj objectives a 2-inch, i-inch and ^-inch will be 

 found amply sufficient for all ordinary work. A rather low- 

 power eyepiece should be selected, and a good stand-condenser 

 will be necessary. x\rmed with this very modest array of optical 

 accessories we may proceed to examine a specimen with a \iew 

 to determining its identity. A small china saucer should be 

 procured — the top of a pomade pot is all that can be desired — 



