TENANTS OF AN OLD FARM. 



UEC'OKATION OF FASCIATA. 



'' I oanuot speak with certainty. Tliis snare, as you 

 remarked, resembles that of Riparia, although the cen- 

 tral shield is rarely so prominent, and the ' winding 

 stair ' is less frequent. The decorations of w^hich you 

 speak ai*e more geuerall}'^ found on Fasciata's nest. 

 They are semi-circular, zigzag ribbons and cords of silk 

 spun in pairs or triplets on either side of the hub. Some- 

 times they go quite around it (Fig. 12). They certainly 

 give the snare a dainty appearance, but I imagine they 

 are not for decoration — as the scalpage of Caudata 

 really seems to be — but to strengthen the snare, and per- 

 haps to form a sort of barricade to protect the owner 

 from assault of enemies. I must collect this cocoon 

 before we go further ; it may be long before I meet 

 another specimen. There, dead tnother and her future 

 progeny arc safely boxed, and we may walk on. 



