SPIG ELI A SPOONBILL. 



707 



Nearly all the different species of spiders envelop 

 their eggs in a covering of silk. The mass of eggs 

 thus protected, of the Epeira diadema, may be con- 

 stantly observed during the winter months in the 

 angles of walls of rooms exposed to gardens, fre- 

 quented by the perfect insects, which, after impregna- 

 tion, make their way into the houses for safety. These 

 cocoons, as they may be called, differ in the different 

 species. la some they are globular, in others oval, 

 and in sQhie depressed. The care with which these 

 cocoons are guarded by some species is quite asto- 

 nishing. Some of the species carry them about with 

 them beneath the abdomen, and it is a matter of the 

 greatest difficulty to compel the mother to quit her 

 charge, and even then she wanders about the spot 

 searching for it with the greatest solicitude. The 

 egg cocoon of the very handsome species Epeira 

 zebra, as well as the perfect insect, are described and 

 figured in the Field Naturalists' Magazine, vol. ii., 

 p. 57. 



The silk of the spider has been supposed to be, on 

 account of its strength, a material adapted for the 

 ordinary purposes in which silk is employed, and to 

 be scarcely inferior to that of the silkworm. M. Bon, 

 of Languedoc, indeed, contrived to manufacture from 

 it a pair of stockings and mittens of a beautiful natural 

 grey colour, which were almost as strong as common 

 silk. But Reaumur, to whom the subject was re- 

 ferred, considered that it was impossible to succeed 

 with the growth of this kind of silk, on account of the 

 great ferocity of the spiders, which causes them to 

 kill one another as soon as they are confined together. 

 Moreover, it would require 668,552 spiders to pro- 

 duce a pound weight of silk, or, if the largest species 

 were employed, ,5.5,296 would be requisite. 



The harmony which nature has established between 

 the colours of these insects and the places which they 

 inhabit, must not be passed in silence. The species 

 of Epeira, which weave their webs in the air, the 

 Thoinm, which hide themselves in flowers, and the 

 Sparassi, which run over the green sward, have the 

 body either of an uniform lively green, yellow, or 

 purple colour, or varied with handsome markings ; 

 whilst the Mi/gale, Lycosce, and AranecB, which con- 

 ceal themselves under stones and in obscure situations, 

 are of brown, black, or other obscure colours, like 

 the places where they reside. We have already in 

 several parts of our work noticed the same harmony 

 reigning in other parts of the insect world. 



The nature of the poison of these animals, which 

 in the commencement of this article was alluded to, 

 as the other means whereby Nature had ensured 

 their existence, will be treated upon in the article 

 upon the Tarantula spider, which is the most re- 

 doubtable of the poisonous species. 



SPIGELI A (Limucus). A genus of two species 

 of plants, one a tropical annual, and the other a half- 

 hardy one, from Maryland. The flowers are pentan- 

 drous, and from their'character belong to Gcnfiancce. 

 The S. Marylandica is a favourite in our collections, 

 and is propagated by cuttings. 



SP1L ANTHES (Linnaeus). A genus of tropical 

 annuals, belonging to Composita;. The S. oleracea is 

 cultivated in the East Indies as a pot-herb. In Bri- 

 tish collections they are grown in rich soil, and raised 

 from seeds. 



SPINACIA (Linnaeus). A genus of annual 

 herbs, belonging to Chenopodecc. Of this genus the 

 well-known spinach is the type. 



SPIRAEA (Liniuetis). A genus of deciduous 

 shrubs and perennial herbs, natives of various parts of 

 the globe. The flowers are icosandrous, and belong 

 to Rosacece. Several of the herbaceous sorts are 

 British, and many of the shrubs are in our shrub- 

 beries, and are increased by suckers, layers, and cut- 

 tings. 



SPIRALEPIS (D. Don). Undershrubs and 

 herbs, natives of the Cape of Good Hope, formerly 

 included in the genus Gnaphalium, and belonging to 

 Composite. The species thrive best in a mixture of 

 sandy loam and heath mould, and are propagated by 

 cuttings. 



SPONDIAS (Linnseus). A genus of tropical 

 fruit trees, bearing decandrous flowers, and belonging 

 to Terebinthacca'. The fruit of the several species 

 are eatable, being slightly acid and aromatic, but they 

 are chiefly given to hogs ; hence the name of hog- 

 plum given bv the colonists. 



SPOONBILL (Platalea). A genus of stilt or 

 wading birds, belonging to the cultrirostral family, and 

 the last genus of that family, and the one immediately 

 bordering on the long-billed races in Cuvier's ar- 

 rangement. The characters are these : the bill very 

 long, stout, much depressed, and enlarged and rounded 

 to a spoon-shape at the extremity ; the upper man- 

 dible channelled, and furrowed transversely in the 

 basal part ; the nostrils on the upper surface of the 

 bill, and near to each other, open, of an oblong shape, 

 and bordered by a membrane ; the face and part of 

 the head naked of feathers ; the legs long and strong ; 

 the feet with four toes, three to the front and one to 

 the rear, the three front ones united as far as the 

 second joint by a deeply-notched membrane ; the 

 wings are of mean length, and the first quill a little 

 shorter than the second, which is the longest in the 

 wing. 



The spoonbills live b} r the edges of the marshes, 

 or near the sea where the ground is shaded by thick 

 bushes, and sally from their cover only to seize the 

 small fishes which are brought near the land by the 

 waves. They also eat aquatic insects and small mol- 

 lusca and Crustacea. They are birds of gentle dis- 

 positions, and live in small troops, except during the 

 nesting time, and even then the pairs are not very 

 far from each other. Like most other birds of the 

 banks and shores, they are migratory, moving in the 

 direction of the poles in the spring, and back again 

 toward the equator iu the autumn. For their inarch, 

 they assemble iu larger troops, as is the case with 

 the cranes and storks, and they either accompany 

 these birds, or move about the same time. Even 

 when they are in a state of confinement, they very 

 strongly evince their autumnal migratory instinct ; 

 for though they are, during the greater part of the 

 year, dispersed through various parts of the old con- 

 tinent, and even into high latitudes, yet, as autumn 

 comes on, they collect in larger troops, and move 

 southward. In the places where they pass the sum- 

 mer and rear their broods, they do not appear much 

 on the open grounds, but prefer woods and shaded 

 spots. They nestle in various places, according to 

 the situation. Sometimes the nest is in lofty trees, 

 sometimes it is in close bushes, and sometimes again 

 it is in the tall annual herbage. It is formed exter- 

 nally of small sticks, and carelessly lined with vege- 

 table fibres. The eggs are generally two or three in 

 number, of a dull whitish colour, marked with a few- 

 russet spots. The female sits very closely during 



YY2 



