THE FALSE SPIDERS 3201 



straight line upon the front of the face, while the middle pair are of enormous 

 size. The legs are stout, rather short, and, a rare thing in spiders, the third 

 leg is often the longest ; there are only two claws, the place of the lower claw 

 being occupied by hair tufts. For molting, hibernation, and egg laying, the 

 jumping spiders spin a 

 small saccular nest, which 

 in the latter case is fre- 

 quently open at one or 

 both ends. In this the 

 eggs are laid and hatched, 

 and the young remain for 

 some time under their 

 mother's protection. Cer- 

 tain Species depart from JUMPING SPIDERS (Epiblemum scenicum). a. Female;*. Male; 



c. Female (natural size); d. Arrangement of eyes. 



the normal type of struct- 

 ure of the others and closely resemble ants. This is brought about by the 

 globular form of the abdomen, and a sharp constriction in the hinder half of 

 the cephalothorax, so that the body appears to be divisible into three parts, as in 

 an insect. Moreover, these spiders have learned to walk with the gait of an ant, 

 holding up a pair of its legs to simulate the antennas. Thus disguised, they live in 

 the company of ants, and avoid the persecution to which they would be subjected 

 if their identity were not concealed. Why the ants refrain from destroying them 

 is unknown. These spiders spin no snare, and are dependent upon agility and 

 great keenness of vision for the capture of prey. Sighting an insect at a distance, 

 and eagerly watching the while its every movement, the spider gradually stalks 

 nearer, until within reach of a leap; then, with a well-judged spring, launches 

 itself on to its prey, and, in spite of vehement struggles, tenaciously retains its hold 

 until the victim succumbs to the paralyzing effects of the poison. An Australian 

 species (Attus volans) has acquired the power of prolonging its leaps into short 

 flights, by elevating flaps of skin which arise from the abdomen. 



THE FAI,SE SPIDERS Order 



The members of this group bear such a strong superficial resemblance to the 

 true spiders that they are usually called by that name. The structural distinctions 

 between the two orders are, however, so great and so easily ascertainable, that an 

 example of the one may be without difficulty distinguished from an example of the 

 other. In the first place, the abdomen is composed of ten distinct segments, and 

 is not supplied with spinning glands, while the breathing organs, which are in the 

 form of long tracheal tubes, open upon its second, third, and sometimes on its 

 fourth sterna. The cephalothorax is distinctly jointed, its last two segments having 

 separate tergal plates, while its front part is covered by a head shield bearing a pair 

 of large -eyes near the middle of its front border, and merely traces of the lateral 

 eyes at the sides. The mandibles, which form a powerful pair of toothed nippers, 



