394 Mr. F. Enock on the 



following day, in each of the five tubes containing the 

 impregnated females put into this bank October 15th, 

 1883, I observed a small round hole, one-sixteenth inch 

 diameter, just at the apex of the aerial portion (example). 

 I had waited so long that now, when I saw what I 

 believed would prove a realisation of my idea, I could 

 not rest long away from my bank ; but nothing appeared 

 that day. The following morning (March 30th) was 

 warm and muggy, or what the country-folks call 

 " a blight." Whilst watching these tubes, at 10 a.m., 

 I observed a young Aiypiis emerge from the small hole 

 in No. 5 ; it was shortly followed by others, until ten 

 had left the home of their birth, never more to return. 

 A few emerged from the tubes Nos. 1 and 3. The 

 following are my notes taken on the spot : — The first 

 young Ati/jms emerged at 10 a.m. from the hole in 

 No. 5, walked a short distance to the foot of a grass- 

 stem, up which it crawled, leaving its silken thread as it 

 went along ; when this one had climbed about an inch 

 high, another young one came out, taking hold of the 

 silken cord, followed on adding his cord to it, and so on 

 each one following the leader, which had, by the time 

 the tenth one emerged, mounted up several inches, and, 

 climbing up a small twig, it would descend again to the 

 main stem, up which it climbed, bridging over the space 

 from twig to twig with the never-ending silken cord, 

 along which each one followed, strengthening it as they 

 passed, until it became quite visible, glistening in the 

 sun. 



The young Ati/jn still went on mounting higher 

 and higher : "Excelsior" was evidently their motto. I 

 had previously stuck some pea-sticks on the top of the 

 bank just above these tubes, and the first spider was not 

 such a great while in reaching one, up which it crawled, 

 followed by the others. The first arrived at the top 

 (some 3 ft. 6 in. from the ground), walked round and 

 round, the others soon joined it, and not one of the ten 

 seemed inclined to descend by the same way they came 

 up ; the rising wind gently swayed the sticks about, 

 until some of the spiders were blown off into mid-air, 

 still keeping a hold upon their endless silken cords, until 

 they became attached to other sticks ; these they 

 mounted as the first, were again blown off on to tlie 

 grass, at 5 p.m., where they hid themselves, no doubt 



