410 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



families. Since they spin no webs to annoy one, their comical stare and know- 

 ing ways in a measure make np for the stinging bite they can administer 

 when their liberty is interfered with. 



The garden-spider'*** is doubtless an importation. It is the large species, 

 with the fibdomen conspicuously marked with creamy yellow and black, that 

 occurs in the shrubbery about the house and garden, where it makes its bulky, 

 oddly -woven nests. It is common from sea-level up to 4000 feet elevation, and 

 is also found in America and Australia. 



The big brown spider '•'■' or house-spider is often three or four inches 

 across, and to the tourist, at least, they present a most formidable appearance. 

 They are common in houses all over the islands, as well as in all tropical 

 countries, and are often looked upon as household pets. They are perfectly 

 harmless. In many families their long residence and evident appreciation of 

 friendly attentions from the members of the household has given them an 

 enviable place among the domestic pets. They feed on cockroaches, moths, 

 flies, silverfish and other insects, in an evident desire to be useful as well as 

 interesting, and seldom leave their accustomed resting-place during the day- 

 time. At night they become alert and active in search of food. As they never 

 spin webs, the mother .spider is forced to carry the white lozenge-shaped egg- 

 sack about with her between her legs until her eggs have hatched. Mr. E. M. 

 Ehrhorn fdund that it I'equircd about thirty-live days for the young spiders to 

 hatch ami leave the egg-sack, and that 197 out of 207 eggs hatched. 



The Hamaki'.v Simder. 



An investigation of the habits of spiders found in the cane fields, at the . 

 time of the leaf-hopper outbreak already referred to, resulted in finding that 

 out of the one hundred and five species of spiders recorded in the islands, at 

 least twenty occur in the cane fields. However, only fourteen species were 

 found feeding on insects infesting the cane. The most useful species '■"' in the 

 cane fields is variously known as the Kohala spider, the Hamakua spider and 

 the Puunene spider. In some sections it is very abundant, so that as many as 

 fifty of its roundish white nests have been found on a single leaf of cane. 



Some of the species met with in the mountains spin very large, firm webs. 

 It is not uncommon to find these stretched across the path, suspended on strong 

 stay threads twent.y-five feet or more in lengtli. As a rule, however, the spe- 

 cies peculiar to Hawaii are not conspicuous in size or liabit. the great majorit.v 

 being less than five millimeters in length. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



NATIVE INSECTS. 



In the foregoing chapters some of the more important injurious insects 

 have been passed in review. We now turn to consider some of the salient fea- 



" PayiophnUis atv 



