61 



with the liiding-place of the spider by means of a silken tunnel, through which the crea- 

 ture darts when it feels the vibration of an insect in its web, and to the bottom of 

 which it retreats when danger threatens. The species of this family are very numerous, 

 building their webs on stone buildings, often to their great disfigurement, in cellars, the 

 corners of windows, (fee. They are, no doubt, familiar to every observer. 



The Lycosidce., or Wolf-spiders, live on the ground and take their prey in fair chase 

 instead of catching it in webs. They are mostly found among herbage, low bushes, fallen 

 leaves, and similar localities, and if they should feel alarmed, they run for safety under 



stones, mosses, rocks, and into any accidental crevice in the 

 earth. They are fierce and determined hunters, chasing their 

 prey wherever it may seek shelter. Some of them are 

 semi-aquatic in their habits, and are not only able to run 

 fearlessly upon the surface of the water, but can descend 

 along the aquatic plants until they are deeply immersed, 

 breathing by means of the air which is entangled among the 

 hairy clothing of their bodies. They have long legs, the hind 

 pair being the longest ; the head is high, and the eyes are 

 arranged in a peculiar manner, as shown at the bottom of 

 Fig. 15, which represents a species of Lycosa. 



The celebrated Tarantula spider belongs to this genus. It 

 is so called from the town of Tarentum, in Italy, where it is 

 very common. There was a deeply rooted belief among the 

 inhabitants of that town and neighbourhood that if any one 

 were bitten by this spider, he would be instantly afflicted 

 with an extraordinary disease called tarentismus, v/hich exhifc- 

 Fig. 15. ited itself in one of two extremes, the one being a profound 



and silent melancholy, and the other a continual convulsive movement of the whole bodv. 

 It was also thought that this disease could only be cured by music, and that a certain 

 tune was needful in each particular case. The disease undoubtedly existed and spread 

 with great rapidity through the neighbouring towns and villages, affecting hundreds of 

 both sexes who came within the sphere of its influence, but the poor Tarantula spider had 

 no more to do with it than the cattle grazing in the fields or the birds chirping in the 

 trees. It was evidently a nervous disease like chorea and hysteria at the present day, 

 which tends to propagate itself among all exposed to its influence. 



Another species of Lycosa frequents dry and uncultivated soils, and sinks in the 

 ground a little pit of a depth varying with its size and the length of its i^esidence. The 

 interior of the cell it strengthens with a web. At the entrance of this burrow it sits 

 watching for its prey, and as soon as an unfortunate insect passes within range, it dart* 

 forward, seizes it in its talons, and bears the victim away to its den, where it feasts in 

 peace and solitude. 



The females of this genus are extremely fond of their eggs and young. The eggs are 

 enveloped in silken cocoons of a globular form, which the mother always drags about 

 with her, bumping them over stones and rough ground without injury to the delicate organ- 

 isms within. As soon as the young are hatched and emerge from the cocoon, they 

 transfer themselves to the body of their parent, where they cling in such numbers that 

 sometimes she is hardly visible under her swarming brood. They remain with their 

 mother during the winter, and in the following spring disperse to seek their own living. 



The Attidce, or jumping spiders, are the next on our list of families. The body is usu- 

 ally short and the head square. The arrangement of the eyes is very peculiar, as they 

 are set on the head in the form of a semi-circle, with two very large eyes in the middle 

 of the curve ; this give the spiders of this family a m-ach more animated look than is 

 usual among the Arachnida. The legs are short, the front pair being often stouter than 

 the others. They can run easily backwards or sideways as well as forwards, and jump a 

 long distance. Figure 16 represents the common grey jumping spider (Saltici(s) much 

 magnified. Many of this family of spiders are very coinmon; they are usually found 

 upon walls, among stones, or under leaves ; a sunny window-sill is also a favourite locality 

 for them. When one of them sees a fly, or other insect, which it wishes to devoiu", it 



