4-62 Zoological Society. 



all the four wings are expanded horizontally, and rarely, if ever, 

 take a vertical position. 



Mr. MacLeay concludes this portion of his paper by referring to 

 Madame Merian's description of the metamorphosis of Ur. Leilus, 

 and to her figure of its larva; both of which he regards as unworthy 

 of credit. He then passes to her account of a bird-catching Spider. 



The story of a Spider which catches and devours birds had, Mr. 

 MacLeay believes, its origin with Madame Merian. Oviedo, Labat, 

 and Rochefort make no mention of any Spider as possessing such 

 habits, the two latter writers going no further than the statement 

 that in the Bermudas there exists one which makes nets of so strong 

 a construction as to entangle small birds. Madame Merian, however, 

 went the length of asserting that one Spider not only caught, but 

 devoured small birds; and figured the Mygale avicularia, Walcken., 

 in the act of preying on a Humming-bird. Now the Mi/gale does 

 not spin a net, but resides in tubes under ground, and in all its 

 movements keeps close to the earth; while Humming-birds never 

 perch except on branches. The food of Mygale consists of Juli, 

 Porcelliones, subterranean Achetce, and Biattce : a living Humming- 

 bird and a small Anolis, placed in one of its tubes, were not only 

 not eaten by the Spider, but the latter actually quitted its hole, which 

 it left in possession of the intruders. The largest Spider of the West 

 Indies that spins a geometrical web is the Nephila clavipes, Leach ; 

 and its net may perhaps, occasionally, be strong enough to arrest 

 the smaller among the Humming-birds : but it is not likely that the 

 Spider would eat the birds. A small species of Sphccriodactylus, Cuv., 

 introduced into one of these nets, was enveloped in the usual man- 

 ner by the Spider; but as soon as the operation was completed, the 

 Spider lost no time in cutting the line and allowing her prisoner to 

 fall to the ground. Mr. MacLeay consequently disbelieves the 

 existence of any bird-catching Spider. 



The Paper was accompanied throughout by numerous notes, in- 

 cluding observations on many subjects adverted to by the author; 

 such as the habits of the land-Crabs of Cuba; a description of the 

 grey Lizard of the coast, apparently a species of Agama ; &c. They 

 also included an account of two species of Sphceriodactylus, Cuv., 

 which are characterized as follows: 

 Sphjeriodactylus cinereus. Splicer, caudd corporis longitudine ; 



totus cinereus, Iranshtcidus, capitejlaviori, apice roseo ; squamis 



dorsalibus punctis minutissimis nigris aspersis. 

 Long. tot. 24 unc. 



This may possibly be the small house Lizard of Browne's Ja- 

 maica. 

 SpHjERIODACTYLUS elegans. Splicer, fasciis dorsalibus transversis 



nigris 14; capite cceruleo-cinereo, subtits iiigro-J'asciato ,• dorso 



subviridi; caudd rubra, corpore breviore ; ventre cinereo. 

 Long. tot. I4 unc. 



Both these Lizards are very common in houses in Cuba, occur- 

 ring among books or wherever they can find shelter. They have 

 bright eyes, are pretty and very harmless, and come out of their 



