228 NATURAL HISTORY. [CH. XIV. 



compresses it to death, and sucks out the juices by 

 means of a couple of hooks fixed to its head. When 

 a strong insect happens to be thus captured, it might 

 fly away with the lion-worm if nature had not fur- 

 nished the latter with means of fixing- itself suitable 

 to the emergency. It bends a part of its body into 

 the shape of a hook ; this is then thrust under the 

 sand, and serves as an anchor to hold the insect, 

 while the upper part of the body remains at liberty 

 to master and devour the prey. If the prey, eluding 

 its serpent-like grasp, should begin to make its way 

 up the sides of the den, the cunning hunter resorts 

 to the very same expedient as the ant-lion ; by means 

 of its head, it sends forth a shower of sand with 

 such marvellous agility and precision of aim, that it 

 rarely fails to bring the battered game once more 

 within the reach of its formidable pincers. 



The leptis ultimately turns into a sort of fly, with 

 a long and thin body. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



The sproER. 



Its Spinning ^pjiarattis—The Web— The Hawk-Spider— The Garden 

 Spider— The Water-Spider — The Hunting-Spider— Gossamer-Spidef 

 — Fen-Spider — Attachment of the Spider to its Young. 



Among the insect tribes, few seem to be more 

 generally regarded with horror and disgust than 

 the whole family of spiders, and such wingless 

 insects as resemble them. Notwithstanding this, 

 there are savages who eat them : Sparrman says, 

 that the Bashie men consider them as dainties ; and 

 Labillardiere asserts, that the inhabitants of New- 

 Caledonia seek for and devour large quantities of a 



