BIRD-CATCHING SPIDER. 23 



leaving my vertebrated animals untouched. 

 When M. Langsdorff asked the people of Brazil 

 if the Caranffuexeirafor such is the terrific 

 name of this spider in that country fed on 

 Humming-birds, they answered him with bursts 

 of laughter that it only gratified its maw with 

 large flies, ants, bees, wasps, beetles, &c. au 

 answer, the truth of which he afterwards found 

 by personal experience. 



" The largest spiders that make a geometrical 

 net belong to the genus Nephila; and the 

 largest Nephila that I have seen in the West 

 Indies, is the elegant Nephila clavipes, or Epeira 

 clavipes of Latreille. This species is common 

 in gardens suspended to trees in the centre of 

 its web, the mathematical regularity of which 

 may compete with that of the ancient spiders de- 

 scribed by jElian. Now it is certainly possible 

 that the net of the Nephila may, in accordance 

 with Labat's account, accidentally arrest such 

 small birds as are several species of Trochilidtf, 

 but I do not believe that the spider would 

 touch them. My garden is full of these Nephilas 

 in autumn, and I have tried to regale one of 

 them with a small species of lizard (little more 

 than an inch in length), by putting it into her 

 net. The spider, on feeling the threads vibrate 

 with the struggles of the lizard, instantly ap- 

 proached and enveloped it in her web. As soon, 

 however, as it was thus disabled, the Nephila 

 seemed to become aware of her mistake, and, 



