THE SPIDER. 



85 



ENGLAND. 



,|P*! 



/~C-'. X\'C. ; v. 

 V. ., 



ing short half- circuits, and 

 all the time rapidly vibrat- 

 ing its wings and antennae. 

 The spider, though well hid- 

 den, was soon discovered; 

 and the wasp, evidently still 

 afraid of its jaws, inflicted 

 two stings on the under side 

 of its thorax. At last, care- 

 fully examining with its an- 

 tennae the now motionless 

 spider, it proceeded to drag 

 away the body. But I stopped both tyrant and prey. 



WASP AND SPIDER. 



THE SPIDER. 



IT is well known that most British spiders, when a large 

 insect is caught in their webs, try to cut the lines and set 

 free 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 irregular web of a very small 

 spider, and this spider, instead of cutting the web, most per- 

 severingly continued to entangle the body, and especially 

 the wings, of its prey. The wasp at first aimed in vain re- 

 peated thrusts with its sting at its little antagonist. Pity- 

 ing the wasp, after allowing it to struggle for more than 

 an hour, I killed it and put it back into the web. The 

 spider soon returned; and an hour afterward I was much 

 surprised to find it with its jaws buried in the opening 



