THE HUNTING SPIDERS 199 



had been watching touch the water several times, like a bather 

 feeling the temperature with his toe before taking the plunge, 

 and then it deliberately walked down the stem of the plant be- 

 neath the surface, taking with it a bubble of air, caught by means 

 of its hairy body. 1 watched several others, and the same thing 

 occurred, and this is therefore, how they survive the high tide. 

 I was puzzled at first by seeing that they dived long before they 

 were forced to by the submergence of their plant, but this was 

 explained by an individual that got dislodged, for it could not 

 dive without the help of something firm to hold on to, and even 

 the tip of a leaf swaying in the current was not sufficient aid. 

 Although they can run over the surface, they are far more com- 

 fortable beneath it, especially in the rough weather, so the wis- 

 dom of their submerging whilst something firm remains to cling 

 to becomes clear. 27 



Pardosa is a small lycosid. There are some smaller the "pirates" 

 of the swamp-loving genus Pirata, and the shy Trabea of shaded 

 woods but in the main the typical wolf spider is larger and more 

 stoutly built, and will often attain notable dimensions. Most of the 

 typical wolves belong to the genus Lycosa (from the Greek mean- 

 ing "wolf," or "to tear like a wolf"; it is also the common name for 

 the whole group), and strength is the keynote of their makeup. The 

 carapace is low and the sides of the head broadly rounded, so that 

 the eyes ordinarily do not occupy the whole top of the head, but sit 

 in a group at the center of a dome. The rather short, heavy legs are 

 often supplied with dense brushes of hairs beneath the tarsi and 

 metatarsi. 



These typical wolf spiders (Plate XXVI) are very handsome 

 creatures. Their bodies are evenly covered with a dense coat of 

 black, brown, or gray hair, which gives them a velvety appearance. 

 Paler markings of various kinds, arranged in spots, patches, and 

 stripes, add variety to the rich coloration of the hairs. Whereas the 

 upper part of the body tends to harmonize with the terrain, the 

 underside of both body and legs is often boldly marked with black 

 patches and stripes. 



Lycostfs egg sac is almost always white in color. The female 

 molds it into a nearly spherical object, and, turning and spinning 

 over the edges, leaves scarcely any evidence of the seam where the 



27 W. S. Bristowe, "A British Semi-Marine Spider," Ann. & Mag. Nat.. 

 History, (9), XII, pp. 154-5. 



