1889-90.] TJie Gardoi-Spider as an Architect. 337 



where poisoned rats find their way under floors, or into the 

 partitions of inhabited dwellings. There is no need of having 

 recourse to this doubtful expedient where there is an industrious 

 effort in the application of measures which are well known to 

 have hitherto proved successful. The use of traps, snares, 

 ferrets, dogs, spades, and guns properly applied are perfectly 

 competent to stamp out the rat plague if sufficiently persisted 

 in. At the same time, it is well to state that no spasmodic 

 effort, ever and again suspended and periodically renewed, will 

 meet the necessities of the case. Neither will any or all of 

 these applications combined meet the exigencies of the case, 

 where they are merely local in their application. Eats, as I 

 have indicated, are quick in their instincts to apprehend 

 danger, and prompt in their action to fly from it. Hence, 

 being attacked on one farm, they will in most cases not be 

 slow in making themselves scarce by flying to find refuge 

 somewhere else ; and, being able to travel long distances, will 

 be found suddenly to make their appearance in large numbers, 

 it may be several miles distant. It will thus be seen that 

 simultaneous action must be taken in each district if the war 

 against this disgusting pest is to be successful. Let the policy 

 here recommended be generally adopted, and industriously and 

 patiently prosecuted, and there is no reason why we should 

 not shortly hear the last of the rat plague. 



Y.—THE GARDEN -SPIDER {EPEIRA DIADEMA) 

 AS AN ARCHITECT. 



By Mr ROBERT STEWART, S.S.C. 

 {Read Feb. 26, 1890.) 



At the present time spiders are looked upon with aversion 

 by nearly everybody, and consequently few people can tell 

 one spider from another. How to account for this is perhaps 

 not difficult, if we recollect that one of our earliest accom- 

 plishments consisted in being able to repeat, before a select 



