INTRODUCTION XV 



Different kinds of spiders mature and breed at different 

 times of the year, most of them living only one season. Those 

 that mature late, \ikt_^ga/eua Jicevia and Argiope, pass the 

 winter as eggs, \m^E those that mature early, like Epeira 

 sclopctaria and Lycosa nidicola, pass the winter half grown. 

 Some species, like Thcridiuin tcpidarioruvi (p. 1 1 2), breed sev- 

 eral times in the year, and old and young are found at all 

 seasons. 



The spiders are naturally divided into two groups of families: 

 (i) the hunting spiders, which run on the ground or on plants, 

 catching insects wherever they find them, or waiting among 

 leaves and flowers until insects come within their reach ; 

 (2) the cobweb spiders, which make webs to catch insects and 

 live all the time in the web or in a nest near it. 



The hunting spiders include: (i) the Dysderidae (p. 22), a 

 few species with six eyes only and with four breathing holes at 

 the front end of the abdomen ; (2) the Drassidas (p. i), or 

 ground spiders, which live among stones and dead leaves or 

 among plants, making tubular nests and flat ^gg cocoons but 

 no cobwebs ; (3) the Thomisidas (p. 24), the flat and crab-like 

 spiders living on plants or under bark and stones; (4) the 

 Attidae (p. 41), the jumping spiders, with wide heads and 

 large front eyes, many of them brightly colored and active in 

 their habits; (5) the Lycosidae (p. 6^), the long-legged run- 

 ning spiders, living on the ground and, a few of them, in holes 

 and carrying about their round ^gg cocoons attached to the 

 spinnerets. 



The cobweb spiders include : (i) the Agalenidae (p. 91), mak- 

 ing flat webs on grass or in corners of houses, with a tube at 

 one side in which the spider lives; (2) the Therididac (p. 107), 

 round spiders with flat or irregular webs in corners and on 

 plants; (3) the Linyphiadae (p. 134), with fiat webs, small 

 spiders of a great number of species living near the ground 



