356 INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



driven into the wood, till by that indiscernible pro- 

 gress (being arrived within the sphere of her reach) 

 she made a fatal leap swilt as lightning, upon the 

 fly, catching him in the pole, where she never quitted 

 hold till her belly was full, and then carried the re- 

 mainder home." 



One feels a little sceptical, however, when he adds, 

 " 1 have beheld them instructing their young ones 

 how to hunt, which they would sometimes discipline 

 for not well observing ; but when any of tiie old ones 

 did (as sometimes) miss a leap, they w-ould run out 

 of the field and hide themselves in their crannies, as 

 ashamed, and haply not to be seen abroad for four or 

 five hours after; for so long have I watched the 

 nature of this strange insect, the contemplation of 

 whose so wonderful sagacity and address has 

 amazed me; nor do I find in any chase whatsoever 

 more cunning and stratagem observed. I have found 

 some of these spiders in my garden, when the wea- 

 ther, towards spring, is very hot, but they are nothing 

 so eager in hunting as in Italy."* 



We have only to add to this lively narrative, that 

 the hunting spider, when he leaps, takes good care 

 to provide against accidental falls by always swinging 

 himself from a good strong cable of silk, as 

 Swammerdam correctly states, "f and which anybody 

 may verify, as one of the small hunters [SaUiciis sce- 

 nicns), known by having its back stripped with black 

 and white like a zebra, is very conjmon in Britain. 



As a contrast to the little elastic satin nest of the 

 hunter, we may mention the largest with which we 

 are acquainted, — that of the labyrinthic spider {'^ge- 

 lena labyrinthica, Walckenaer). Our readers 

 must often have seen this nest spread out like a broad 

 sheet in hedges, furze, and other low bushes, and 



* Evelyn's Travels in Italy. 



t Boole of Nature, part i. page 24. 



