SPIDERS. 47 



quite lifeless. This Epeira always stands with its 

 head downwards near the centre of the web. 

 When disturbed, it acts differently according to 

 circumstances : if there is a thicket below, it sud- 

 denly falls down ; and I have distinctly seen the 

 thread from the spinners lengthened by the animal 

 while yet stationary, as preparatory to its fall. If 

 the ground is clear beneath, the Epeira seldom 

 falls, but moves quickly through a central passage 

 from one to the other side. When still further 

 disturbed, it practises a most curious manoeuvre : 

 standing in the middle, it violently jerks the web, 

 which is attached to elastic twigs, till at last the 

 whole acquires such a rapid vibratory movement, 

 that even the outline of the spider's body becomes 

 indistinct. 



It is well known that most of the British spiders, 

 when a large insect is caught in their webs, en- 

 deavour to cut the lines and liberate their prey, to 

 save their nets from being entirely spoiled. I once, 

 however, saw in a hot-house in Shropshire a large 

 female wasp caught in the iiTegular web of a quite 

 small spider ; and this spider, instead of cutting the 

 web, most perseveringly continued to entangle the 

 body, and especially the wings, of its prey. The 

 wasp at first aimed in vain repeated thrusts with 

 its sting at its little antagonist. Pitying the wasp, 

 after allowing it to struggle for more than an hour, 

 I killed it and put it back into the web. The spi- 

 der soon returned ; and an hour afterwards I was 

 much surprised to find it with its jaws buried in the 

 orifice, through which the sting is protruded by the 

 living wasp. I drove the spider away two or three 

 times, but for the next twenty-four hours I always 

 found it again sucking at the same place. The 

 spider became much distended by the juices of its 

 prey, which was many times larger than itself. 



