Facts and Thoughts about Spiders. 191 



when the prisoner called it with musical sounds to 

 be fed. 



The spiders I have spoken of up till now are 

 timid, inoffensive creatures, chiefly of the Epei'ra 

 family; but there are many others exceedingly 

 high-spirited and, like some of the most touchy 

 hymenopteras, always prepared to "greatly quarrel " 

 over matters of little moment. The Mygales, of 



Mygale fneca, threatening. 



which we have several species, are not to be treated 

 with contempt. One is extremely abundant on the 

 pampas, the Mygale fusca, a veritable monster, 

 covered with dark brown hair, and called in the 

 vernacular aranea peluda hairy spider. In the 

 hot month of December these spiders take to roam- 

 ing about on the open plain, and are then every- 

 where seen travelling in a straight line with a slow 



