658 THE PIRATE-SPIDER. 



nimble creature, running quickly along, as, indeed, is needful for a being that depends 

 on its agility for its living. 



About June, the female has made up her little packet of eggs, inclosed in a snowy- 

 white silken envelope, and carries this burden about wherever she goes. Nothing will 

 separate her from her eggs. If the packet is forcibly removed, she remains on the 

 spot, hunting in every direction, and evidently suffering great distress ; and if the white 

 ball be laid near her, she soon spies it, darts at it almost fiercely, and carries it off. 

 Her affection for her egg-ball is, however, quite instinctive ; like the feeling which in- 

 duces a hen to sit upon a piece of white chalk, which she takes for an egg. If a 

 little bit of white cotton-wool be rolled up so as to resemble the lost egg-packet, the 

 spider will seize it and make off with it, not at all suspecting the imposition. 



There are, on an average, about one hundred eggs in each packet. They are quite 

 round, and very tiny, like the palest yellow translucent dust shot ; and their silken 

 covering is drawn so tight, that their globular forms give it an appearance of being 

 embossed. The color of this species is greenish brown, with a few little dark spots, 

 and the body is also banded and spotted with yellowish brown of various shades. 



THE species on the right hand of the illustration is also common in England. It is 

 rather a prettier species than that which has just been mentioned, being of a rich chest- 

 nut-brown, with a longitudinal bar of yellow along the body, and a number of yellow 

 spots on each side of the bar, where it runs over the abdomen. The colors of the 

 male are rather duller than in the female. The cocoon of this species is yellowish 

 brown in color, and contains about fifty eggs. A band of slighter texture and lighter 

 hue surrounds the cocoon. 



One species of this genus, the PIRATE-SPIDER (Lycbsa pirdticd), deserves a brief 

 notice. This creature is mostly found near water, or on marshy land. It is very quick 

 and active, and can run on the surface of the water without sinking. If alarmed, it 

 immediately takes refuge below the surface, crawling down the stems of aquatic plants, 

 and can remain in that position for a long time. The egg-packet contains about one 

 hundred eggs, generally rather less, and seems to be no impediment to the activity of 

 the mother, who can run over the water even when thus incumbered. 



The color of the Pirate spider is rather complicated. The cephalothorax is brown- 

 ish black, edged on either side by a white band, and having a dull yellow streak along 

 its centre. Along the upper part of the abdomen runs a chestnut patch, edged with 

 white spots, and having an arch-like mark of pure white, the point of the arch being 

 directed towards the tail of the spider. The rest of the abdomen is simple gray-brown. 

 The male is smaller and duller colored than his mate. 



I may here remark, that a full account of these, and many other British Arachnida, 

 may be found in Mr. Blackwall's splendid work on this subject. 



THE two handsome spiders in the next illustration are inhabitants of Britain. 



The pretty Dolomcdes mirabilis is found in well-wooded districts. We learn from Mr. 

 Blackwall's researches, that the cocoon of this species is of a dull yellow color, smooth 

 within and rough without, and containing more than two hundred yellow eggs, loosely 

 tied up in the cocoon. She carries her yellow burden under the thorax, and supports 

 it, not only by her limbs, but by some silken threads which serve to bind it to the 

 body. When the young are about to leave the cocoon, the mother spins a rather large 

 silken nest among grass or low bushes. This nest is of a dome-like shape, and under 

 its shelter the young spiders are first set free. They immediately cluster upon the silken 

 lines spun by themselves, and remain under the dome until they are strong enough to 

 go out into the world on their own account. 



The color of this fine spider is yellowish brown, and at each side of the body runs a 

 deep black band, having a narrow white line along its centre. When the female has 

 laid her eggs, she loses these fine tints, and resumes a sober gray color. 



ON the left hand of the illustration may be seen another species belonging to the same 

 genus, which is not only one of the handsomest, but one of the largest British Spiders, its 



