GEOMETRICAL SPIDERS 83 



fragile snares. Suspended on either side from a tuft 

 of grass, a thorny bush or a bare slab of shale, the 

 fine silken webs span tight across the stream. The 

 site is a perfect one for the Epeira, for here flies and 

 other tiny insects abound which, as they hover over 

 the water, fall entangled in the well-laid snares. 



Two species of the Epeiridcs haunt these streams. 

 They belong to distinct genera and differ greatly in 

 appearance. The more common of the two is Araneus 

 nauticus, a brown globular little spider from a quarter 

 to half an inch in lengrth. Its narrow flat head sunk 

 low between its limbs is scarcely visible. But on the 

 upper surface can be seen the six black shining eyes, 

 and projecting in front are a pair of sharp-pointed 

 ponderous jaws. Behind the head is the inconspicuous 

 thorax clothed in thick greyish hairs, with the limbs, 

 banded in black and yellow, spreading out on either 

 side. Overhanging the thorax and forming the larger 

 portion of the spider, is the massive heart-shaped 

 abdomen. A thin coat of hair covers the abdomen, 

 while its upper surface is marked with a yellowish 

 cross. The other spider is a species of the Tetra- 

 gnatka, not so common as the Araneus, but possessed 

 of very similar habits. It is strikingly different in 

 appearance, with a narrow elongated body, and a 

 small head supporting its massive jaws. A line of 

 minute teeth strengthen the jaws on the inner side, 

 while their distal ends are armed with a long pointed 

 fang. Its legs are unusually long and slender, so that 

 the spider seems ungainly in its motions. It has the 

 peculiar habit of extending its legs backwards and 

 forwards, pressing them close together so as to bring 

 them in line with its body. 



