THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 361 



first thread, often sixty or seventy feet long, thrown from tree 

 to tree? for intervening bushes made it impossible to adojjt 

 the native theory, that they made fast to one trunk, descended 

 it, travelled over the ground to tlie other, ascended, holding 

 on to the line and then tightening it. I was fortunate enough 

 one day to see how it was accomplished. 



There was an arch of ironwork over the mouth of the 

 " algibe," to hold the bucket-chain, and I saw a spider 

 perched upon it, busily forming a light loose bale of silk, 

 nearly as large as its own body, which was soon borne away 

 by the wind, and caught in the leaves of a neighbouring tree, 

 the spider, after a time, tightening it, and then crossing back 

 and forth on the line, adding to its thickness on each journey, 

 until it was strong enough to support a web. If the weather 

 were wet or windy they remained huddled together till it 

 cleared up, and the next day the webs which had been blown 

 away were replaced. Several others had been thrown from 

 the trunk of one tree to another in the grounds, but these 

 were all high enough for the horses to pass beneath ; but 

 although I have several times demolished those in the garden, 

 they were invariably woven as low as before. They were 

 tenanted about two months, and then every spider suddenly 

 disappeared ; but I soon found afterwards, under the leaves 

 of the trees, several large bags of eggs, evidently left by 

 them. 



I have said that these traits — working in concert, and 

 meeting without battle — are but apparent exceptions to the 

 general rule ; for I am of opinion that whilst they thus labour 

 amicably together they are immature, and so soon as the 

 reproductive function comes into play the usual ferocity of 

 the race appear. There is then a sanguinary battle ; the few- 

 survivors, all females probably, devour some of the slain pro- 

 vided for a future brood, and then die also. I think so, 

 because they are all of one size in the same web, crowd 

 together to sleep exactly as young s|nders generally do, and 

 they disappear suddenly, leaving no stragglers behind them. 

 I could find no remains of the slain I must admit; but the 

 activity of the swarming ants, those scavengers of hot climates, 

 would account for that. All must have noticed that spiders, 

 for some days or weeks after being hatched, remain on friendly 

 terms together, and spin an irregular web, common to all. I 



