PREFACE. 



THE object of this book is to give a plain account 

 of the best known habits of spiders, and as much 

 of their anatomy and classification as is necessary to 

 understand these habits. The portion on the spinning 

 and flying habits is copied chiefly from Blackwall and 

 Menge; that on the trap-door spiders from Mogg- 

 ridge ; and the habits of Nephila and Hyptiotes, from 

 Wilder. The observations of these authors have been 

 repeated as far as possible, and some changes and 

 additions made to their accounts of them. The nu- 

 merous stories of deadly poison, supernatural wisdom, 

 and enormous size and strength of spiders, have been 

 omitted as doubtful. Several cuts from the papers 

 of Professor Wilder have been repeated by favor of 

 the author and publishers. Most of the figures are, 

 however, new, and engraved by photography from 

 my own drawings. 



