3-4 RIO DE JANEIRO. [CHAP. n. 



tween a Pepsis and a largo spider of the genus Lycosa. The wasp 

 made a sudden dash at its prey, and then flew away : the spider 

 was evidently wounded, for, trying to escape, it rolled down a little 

 slope, but had still strength sufficient to crawl into a thick tuft of 

 grass. The wasp soon returned, and seemed surprised at not 

 immediately finding its victim. It then commenced as regular a 

 hunt as ever hound did after fox; making short semicircular casts, 

 and all the time rapidly vibrating its wings and antenna?. The 

 spider, though well concealed, was soon discovered ; and the wasp, 

 evidently still afraid of its adversary's jaws, after much manoeuvr- 

 ing, inflicted two stings on the under side of its thorax. At last, 

 carefully examining with its antennae the now motionless spider, it 

 proceeded to drag away the body. But I stopped both tyrant and 

 prey.* 



The number of spiders, in proportion to other insects, is here 

 compared with England very much larger; perhaps more so than 

 with any other division of the articulate animals. The variety of 

 species among the jumping spiders appears almost infinite. The 

 genus, or rather family of Epeira, is here characterized by many 

 singular forms ; some species have pointed coriaceous shells, others 

 enlarged and spiny tibia;. Every path in the forest is barricaded 

 with the strong yellow web of a species, belonging to the same 

 division with the Epeira clavipes of Fabricius, which was formerly 

 said by Sloane to make, in the West Indies, webs so strong as to 

 catch birds. A small and pretty kind of spider, with very long 

 fere-legs, and which appears to belong to an undescribed genus, 

 lives as a parasite on almost every one of these webs. I suppose it 

 is too insignificant to be noticed by the great Epeira, and is there- 

 fore allowed to prey on the minute insects, which, adhering to the 

 lines, would otherwise be wasted. When frightened, this little 

 spider either feigns death by extending its front legs, or suddenly 

 drops from the web. A large Epeira of the same division with 

 Epeira tuberculata and conica is extremely common, especially in 

 dry situations. Its web, which is generally placed among the great 

 leaves of the common agave, is sometimes strengthened near the 

 centre by a pair or even four zigzag ribbons, which connect two 



* Don Felix Azara (vol. i. p. 175), mentioning a liymenopterous insect, 

 probably of the same genus, says he saw it dragging a dead spider 

 through tall grass, in a straight line to its nest, which was one hundred 

 and sixty-three paces distant. He adds that the wasp, in order to find 

 the road, every now and then made " demi-tours d'environ trois palmes." 



