1832.] SPIDERS. 37 



from its spinners, soon envelops its prey in a case like the cocoon 

 of a silkworm. The spider now examines the powerless victim, 

 and gives the fatal bite on the hinder part of its thorax ; then 

 retreating, patiently waits till the poison has taken effect. The 

 virulence of this poison may be judged of from the fact that in 

 half a minute I opened the mesh, and found a large wasp quite 

 lifeless. This Epeira always stands with its head downwards 

 near the centre of the web. When disturbed, it acts differently 

 according to circumstances : if there is a thicket below, it 

 suddenly falls down ; and I have distinctly seen the thread from 

 the spinners lengthened by the animal while yet stationary, as 

 preparatory to its fall. If the ground is clear beneath, the Epeira 

 seldom falls, but moves quickly through a central passage from 

 one to the other side. When still further disturbed, it practises 

 a most curious manoeuvre : standing in the middle, it violently 

 jerks the w<;b, which is attached to elastic twigs, till at last the 

 whole acquires such a rapid vibratory movement, that even the 

 outline of the spider's body becomes indistinct. 



It is well known that most of the British spiders, when a large 

 insect is caught in their webs, endeavour to cut the lines and 

 liberate their prey, to save their nets from being entirely spoiled. 

 I once, however, saw in a hot-house in Shropshire a large female 

 wasp caught in the irregular web of a quite small spider; and 

 this spider, instead of cutting the web, most perseveringly con- 

 tinued to entangle the body, and especially the wings, of its 

 prey. The wasp at first aimed in vain repeated thrusts with 

 its sting at its little antagonist. Pitying the wasp, after allow- 

 ing it to struggle for more than an hour, I killed it and put 

 it back into the web. The spider soon returned ; and an 

 hour afterwards I was much surprised to find it with its jaws 

 buried in the orifice, through which the sting is protruded by 

 the living wasp. I drove the spider away two or three times, 

 but for the next twenty-four hours I always found it again 

 sucking at the same place. The spider became much distended 

 by the juices of its prey, which was many times larger than 

 itself. 



I may here just mention, that I found, near St. Fe Bajada, 

 many large black spiders, with ruby coloured marks on their 

 backs, having gregarious habits. The webs were placed verti- 



