SOME MARCH JOTTINGS. 67 



globular sack, like a lady's net veil, dotted with 

 minute pinhead spots, which I found suspended 

 amongst some leaves against my garden wall. I just 

 touched the globe, when lo ! a transformation scene 

 the thing collapsed as if by a magic touch. Hundreds 

 of the tiniest little spiders hung suspended by as many 

 filmy ropes. I was startled by the absolute sudden- 

 ness of the change ; the spiders were not larger than 

 a turnip seed, and the gossamer rope was all but in- 

 visible. This rude though slight touch of mine 

 seemed to Jiave given them their first start in life (or 

 it may be in death) ; these baby marauders thus pre- 

 maturely cast adrift from their mother's care, were 

 thrown upon their own resources, and, like the young 

 ducklings that would venture into the torrent in spite 

 of the old hen's cackling, were carried off to de- 

 struction ; at all events, they never again, so far as 

 I could discover, gathered themselves into a similar 

 bundle. Probably this spider's nest is a very common 

 object in our gardens, but I had not observed one 

 before. 



This is the season for the beginning of frogs. " In 

 ponds and ditches may be seen thousands of round- 

 headed, long-tailed tadpoles, which, if not devoured, 

 will soon become nimble young frogs, when they have 

 a better chance of escaping the jaws of fishes and 

 wildfowl ; for no end of birds, fishes, reptiles, and 

 quadrupeds feed on them. Only a few weeks ago 

 they were in a torpid state and sunk like stones 

 beneath the mud. Since then they left their black 

 spots, which may be seen floating in a jellied mass on 

 the water, and soon from this spawn the myriads of 



