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S P H I N G I D JE S P I D E R. 



to a depth greater than the length of her own body, 

 so that she was entirely hidden from view for several 

 moments at a time, reappearing backwards as usual, 

 with her mout.h laden with sand and stone. During 

 these operations, a considerable buzzing noise was 

 occasionally made. Notwithstanding my interruptions 

 she proceeded in her work, and at length flew off, 

 and I shortly afterwards observed her at about a 

 yard's distance from her burrow engaged in dragging 

 along a large smooth green caterpillar, found I think 

 upon the broom, and being that of one of the Noc- 

 tiadee, and I noticed that it was only by the assistance 

 of her jaws and fore legs that she had secured her 

 prey, the latter, which served her as arms, being 

 clasped round the body of the caterpillar, and the 

 four hind legs used in walking. When about half a 

 yard's distance from the burrow she set down her 

 prey, and flew off towards her nest to see that all was 

 right, and returning again seized the inactive cater- 

 pillar as before, and ascended the bank in a more 

 direct and easy way than she had previously gone. 

 On arriving at the mouth of the cell she again laid 

 down her prey and crept into the hole, but instantly 

 reappeared head foremost, seized the head of the 

 caterpillar with her jaws, and dragged it down. As 

 these proceedings did not occupy more than a quarter 

 of an hour, I feel inclined to think, that as there was 

 not sufficient time to dig a deep burrow, the cell thus 

 made was intended only for the reception of a single 

 larva, and that, as the sand was very loose, and so 

 little time occupied in the operation, a fresh nest is 

 made for each larva. 



" Ammophila sabulosa (Vulgaris, Kirby) was also 

 flying about the same situation : its attitudes when in 

 flight are very droll, the abdomen being held out at 

 an angle with the rest of the body. In walking I 

 observe that the hind pair of legs are almost useless, 

 being dragged along behind the others, and nearly 

 motionless. This species differs from the former in 

 its mode of digging its burrow. It indeed uses its 

 : aws like the Amm. hirsuta in burrowing ; but when 

 they are loaded, it ascends backwards to the mouth 

 of the burrow, turns quickly round, flies to about a 

 foot distance, gives a sudden turn, throwing the sand 

 in a complete shower to about six inches' distance, 

 and again alights at the mouth of its burrow." (Trans. 

 Ent. Soc , vol. i., p. '200.) Mr. Shuckard, in his valua- 

 ble Essay on the Indigenous Fossorial Hymenoptera, 

 'ust published (p. 77), has observed the female of 

 this species dragging a very large inflated spider up 

 the nearly perpendicular side of a sand-bank, at least 

 twenty feet high ; it dragged its prey backwards, and 

 solely by its mandibles. 



The genus Mucus differs from the preceding in 

 hating the third submarginal cell petiolated ; it con- 

 tains one British species, M. campeshis. The genus 

 Sphex has the mandibles large, curved, and bidentate ; 

 Sfte lower parts of the mouth rather short and elbowed 



nearly at the lip, the second submarginal eel! receives 

 the first recurring nerve, and the third receives the 

 second. This is a very extensive genus, comprising 

 many large and fine exotic species, together with 

 Sphcx flavipennis, of. which a single British specimen 

 has been captured. It is in the collection of J. F. 

 Stephens, Esq. 



SPHINGID.E (Leach). A family of large lepi- 

 dopterous insects, belonging to the section Crcpmcu- 

 laria of Latreille, having the antennas prismatic, and 

 terminated by a small bundle of scales ; the palpi 

 are large, and closely clothed with scales, the third 

 joint being very minute ; the body is in general 

 robust, and the flight very powerful ; the spiral 

 tongue is also often of very great length. These 

 insects are ordinarily known under the name of 

 hawk-moths (see HAWK-MOTH). The genera are : 

 Sphinx, Acherontia (see DEATH'S HEAD MOTH), 

 SMERINTHUS (which see), and DEILEPHILA (which 

 see). The genus Sphinx comprises those species 

 which have the wings entire, the antennae acute at 

 the tips, the spiral tongue very long, and the antennae 

 not clavate. The species are generally of large size ; 

 the abdomen is generally gaily varied with coloured 

 transverse bars, but the wings are often of dull 

 colours ; their flight is extremely rapid. The British 

 species are : Sph. convolvuli (the Convolvulus Sphinx), 

 Sph. ligustri (privet hawk-moth), and Sph. pinastri 

 (pine hawk-moth). Several others have been intro- 

 duced, but they are considered as doubtful natives, 

 being probably importations. A subgenus, contain- 

 ing the beautiful Sph. nerii, was published by Mr. 

 Curtis on the first of February, 1837. 



SPIDER. The ordinary English name of a very 

 extensive tribe of arachnidous insects, constituting in 

 the Linnaean system the genus Aranea, but forming, 

 in the modern arrangements of Latreille and Leach, 

 a distinct order, named Araneides by the former, and 

 Dimerosomata by the latter, divisible into several 

 families and numerous genera. In the article ARACH- 

 NIDA will be found numerous details relative to the 

 structure and physiology of the order ; and in the 

 article EPEIRA is given a sketch of its distribution into 

 families. The present article will, therefore, be more 

 exclusively confined to the details of the economy and 

 habits of this interesting but too much neglected tribe. 



An insect destitute of a distinct head, and 

 wanting antennae, in which one half of the body 

 is suspended from the other by a very slender 

 peduncle, in which the integuments are so soft as not 

 to bear the least pressure, whose limbs are so slightly 

 attached to the body that they fall off at a very slight 

 touch ; an insect thus destitute appears but ill 

 adapted of itself either to escape from the dangers 

 which threaten it on all sides, to secure for itself a 

 sufficient supply of food, or to protect its brood from 

 injury. Such are the conditions of the existence of 

 the spider in general, which, however, are amply 

 compensated by means bestowed upon them by an 

 all-wise Creator for their apparent want of power, 

 and by which they are not only enabled to entrap 

 and secure insects much larger than themselves for 

 their subsistence, but also to construct habitations 

 for their abodes, and to defend their offspring against 

 the inclemencies of the seasons and the attacks of 

 their enemies. The means by which these effects 

 are produced are exceedingly simple ; namely, the 

 secretion of two fluids by internal organs, one of 

 which is a gummy fluid exuding from an apparatus 



