LAND SPIDERS. 241 



Then, there are many spiders which catch their prey 

 in webs, although they do not weave such beautifully 

 symmetrical structures as those of the Garden spider. 

 The House spiders, for example, belong mostly to the 

 genus Tegenaria, the commonest species being Tegenaria 



Of course, it is necessary to remove the webs of these 

 spiders from our dwellings, but they should not be dis- 

 turbed in barns and outhouses, where they can offend no 

 one, and are rather useful than otherwise. 



Their webs are well worthy of examination. They are 

 made in horizontal sheets, which are supported by strong 

 threads radiating in different directions. Sometimes, 

 when the conditions are favourable, these sheets attain 

 extraordinary dimensions. The largest that I ever saw 

 were on the roof of the old belfry chamber at Merton 

 College, Oxford. They were destroyed when the building 

 was restored, and I could not examine then?, but the 

 smallest must have been several yards square. 



One side of the net is always modified into a stout 

 silken tube, in which the spider can sit and watch for 

 prey, itself remaining unseen. Sometimes the spider 

 attains an enormous size, the largest instances known 

 being the celebrated "Cardmal" spiders of Hampton 

 Court. I have had a specimen the spread of whose legs 

 was nearly equal to that of a human hand, and still 

 larger examples have been known. These huge spiders 

 may be found in several parts of England, but they seem 

 to attain their largest dimensions at Hampton Court. 



