— 2l8— 



spider s Web Cloth. — A new industry has sprung up by which 

 spiders are added to the Hst of insects of importance in arts and 

 industries, as witness the following excerpts from the Washington 

 Post: An Englishman, named Stillbers, it is said, has actually made 

 a cloth of spiders' web which has been employed for purposes of 

 surgery, and has gone quite extensively into its manufacture. 



The spiders are obtained from tropical countries, mostly from 

 Africa and South America, and are very large. A peculiar feature 

 of the business is that the spiders spin the best web when they are 

 intoxicated. To accomplish this a liquid composed of chloroform, 

 ether and fusil oil is allowed slowly to evaporate in the room where 

 the spiders are housed, and they are thus kept constantly in a mild 

 state of intoxication. The little creatures are placed in octagonal 

 cases, and are fed on insects of various kinds. In one room there 

 are some 5000 of these cases. The spiders lay their eggs, and about 

 the latter spin cocoons. These cocoons are gathered, and are pre- 

 pared for weaving by some such processes as are undergone by the 

 cocoon of the silk-worm. The weaving itself is a closely guarded 

 secret. Each cocoon is said to yield twenty-five to one hundred 

 yards of thread. The texture of the woven material resembles, 

 somewhat, ordinary silk, and after it is bleached it becomes brilliant 

 and smooth. • F. H. C. 



Eristalis tenax has been unusually common in this vicinity 



during the year. It has been aptly termed the "drone-fly," not 



alone by virtue of its resemblance to the male honey bee, but on 



account of its habits. A large portion of its time appears to be 



spent simply in idling, flitting about from one flower to another with 



no apparent purpose in view. 



F. H. C. 



Zeuzera cesculi {pyrina) mentioned in a previous number (p. 

 31) as occurring at Newark and Arlington, N. J., has been taken in 

 Central Park. N. Y. City, by Mr. Beutenmiiller, and during the 

 Summer I found it also at Orange, N. J., at electric lights. Al- 

 though the insect has been known for a number of years in this 

 country, its spread has been inconsiderable. The addition of Cen- 

 tral Park and Orange increase the radius of its occurrence to only 

 about fifteen miles. 



F. H. C. 



