x LETTERS TO MARCO 63 



in the least to mind the loss of a leg or two. 

 I have found them with their bodies sunk in 

 holes and their legs extended over the edges; 

 when disturbed they raise themselves like a 

 gun in a barbette battery and make off in a 

 great hurry ; is this their usual strategy for 

 capturing their prey ? or what ? Then there 

 is another sort of spider with a bright green 

 body, rather round in shape, which comes 

 tumbling out of the rose-buds or leaves when 

 you go to pick a rose ; it is usually on rose 

 bushes, but I cannot see that it feeds on the 

 aphidae, as it is often on bushes where no 

 flies are found ; the books I have read say 

 nothing of this fellow. I found out that 

 earwigs can walk on spiders' webs ; I watched 

 one do so ; it went about quite deliberately, 

 and seemed to eat or suck sundry small 

 midges which were in the web : the web 

 was outside my window, and the spider 

 was in his corner with as much as he 

 wanted. 



One never knows what millions of spiders' 



