Chap. IV. BIED-KILLING SPIDER. IGl 



I was attracted by a movement of the monster on a 

 tree-trunk ; it was close beneath a deep crevice in the 

 tree, across which was stretched a dense white web. The 

 lower part of the web was broken, and two small birds, 

 finches, were entangled in the pieces ; they were about 

 the size of the English siskin, and I judged the two to 

 be male and female. One of them was quite dead, the 

 other lay under the body of the spider not quite dead, 

 and was smeared with the filthy liquor or saliva exuded 

 by the monster. I drove away the spider and took the 

 birds, but the second one soon died. The fact of species 

 of Mygale sallying forth at night, mounting trees, and 

 sucking the eggs and young of humming-birds, has been 

 recorded long ago by Madame Merian and Palisot de 

 Beauvois ; but, in the absence of any confirmation, it has 

 come to be discredited. From the way the fact has been 

 related it would appear that it had been merely derived 

 from the report of natives, and had not been witnessed 

 by the naiTators. Count Langsdorff, in his " Expedition 

 into the Interior of Brazil," states that he totally disbe- 

 lieved the story. I found the circumstance to be quite 

 a novelty to the residents hereabout. The Mygales are 

 quite common insects : some species make their cells 

 under stones, others form artistical tunnels in the earth, 

 and some build their dens in the thatch of houses. The 

 natives call them Aranhas carangueijeiras, or crab- 

 spiders. The hairs with which they are clothed come 

 off when touched, and cause a peculiar and almost mad- 

 dening irritation. The first specimen that I killed and 

 prepared was handled incautiously,'and I suffered terribly 

 for three days afterwards. I think this is not owing to 



