676 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



are small animals resembling scorpions in shape, but with no sting, and the abdomen not 

 narrowed into a tail. They are sometimes found in houses among dusty old books, as well 



as out of doors among moss, or under 



stones or bark. 



the legs of flies 



Phot* by Highly 



TREE TRAP-DOOR SPIDER OF BRAZIL 



Trap-door spiders are plentiful in some parts of Europe 



Sometimes they cling to 

 they are believed to feed 

 on mites and other small creatures, but not 

 to injure the flies, only employing them as 

 a convenient method of being conveyed from 

 one place to another. 



The WHIP-SCORPIONS are not unlike 

 scorpions, and have large claws, but the front 

 legs are very long, slender, and whip-like, and 

 there is either no tail, or else a long, slender, 

 whip-like one without a sting. They are 

 inhabitants of warm countries, and, rightly 

 or wrongly, are reputed to be venomous. 

 Different species measure from I inch to 4 

 or 5 inches in length. 



The curious HARVEST-MEN have two 

 eyes, a small, compact, oval body, large 

 pincers, and very long, slender legs, longer 

 and more slender in proportion to their size 

 than those of crane-flies, and equally liable 

 to be broken off, if the owner is roughly 



handled. They feed on plant-lice and other small insects. 



We now come to the large and important group of SPIDERS, which more frequently attract 



attention in England than any others of the group. The abdomen is not usually divided 



into distinct segments, and is connected with 



the thorax by a short stalk. Spiders have 



strong poisonous jaws, which make some of 



the larger species formidable even to man, and 



several pairs of eyes ; while many possess an 



apparatus for spinning a strong silken web, 



in which they entangle their prey, consisting 



chiefly of flies and other winged insects. 



The largest known spiders are usually 



placed first in the series. These are the great 



BIRD-CATCHING SPIDERS of South America, 



some of which have bodies 3 inches long, 



and strong, hairy legs. These large spiders 



have now been proved not only to feed on 



insects, but occasionally on humming-birds, 



and even sometimes on larger birds, such as 



finches. 



The TRAP-DOOR SPIDERS are allied, but 



smaller, perhaps averaging about an inch in 



length. They construct a silken gallery in the 



ground, with a round door, which they shut 



behind them when they enter. There is only 



fhttt b) Highley 



HOUSE-SPIDER 



Exhibits the four pairs of legs characteristic of the group 



one species in England, which does not form 



a trap-door, but a silken tube. If any insect settles on it, the spider clutches it from within, 



tears a hole in the tube, drags its prey inside, and then repairs the rent. 



