Facts and Thoughts about Spiders. 195 



Lubbocks have been many ; the Moggridges few. 

 But even a very slight study of these most versatile 

 and accomplished of nature's children gives rise to 

 some interesting reflections. One fact that strikes 

 the mind very forcibly is the world- wide distribu- 

 tion of groups of species possessing highly developed 

 instincts. One is the zebra-striped Salticus, with its 

 unique strategy that is to say, unique amongst 

 spiders. It is said that the Australian savage 

 approaches a kangaroo in the open by getting up in 

 sight of its prey and standing perfectly motionless 

 till he is regarded as an inanimate object, and every 

 time the animal's attention wanders advancing a 

 step or two until sufficiently near to hurl his spear. 

 The Salticus approaches a fly in the same manner, 

 till near enough to make its spring. Another is 

 the Trapdoor spider. Another the Dolomedes, that 

 runs over the surface of the water in pursuit of its 

 prey, and dives down to escape from its enemies ; 

 and, strangest of all, the Argyroneta, that has its 

 luminous dwelling at the bottom of streams ; and 

 just as a mason carries bricks and mortar to its 

 building, so does this spider carry down bubbles of 

 air from the surface to enlarge its mysterious house, 

 in which it lays its eggs and rears its young. Com- 

 munity of descent must be supposed of species 

 having such curious and complex instincts ; but 

 how came these feeble creatures, unable to transport 

 themselves over seas and continents like the aerial 

 gossamer, to be so widely distributed, and inhabiting 

 regions with such different conditions ? This can 



o 



only be attributed to the enormous antiquity of the 



specieSj and of this antiquity the earliness in which 



o 2 



