178 THE BRITISH NATURE BOOK 



The study of British spiders forms a hobby which comparatively few 

 people have made their own ; yet it has some advantages, apart from its in- 

 trinsic interest, shared by few other branches of Nature Study. For example, 

 it can be indulged in all the year round, for spiders are found in their natural 

 haunts right through the year in the winter as well as the summer. 



Not very much is needed in the way of paraphernalia. A few chip boxes, 

 or one or two small wide-mouthed bottles, such as pomade bottles ; a good 

 net, or an umbrella ; a small tin or two in which to carry nests and cocoons ; 

 and a few tubes, such as those in which homoeopathic remedies are sold, about 

 3 inches long. The net should be about the size of the ordinary butterfly 

 net, and made of jean, about 16 inches deep. The tubes should be rilled 

 with either methylated spirits and water (three parts of spirit to one of water), 

 or a ten per cent, solution of formalin. Personally, I prefer the latter. 



The net is used to sweep bushes or grass, when large numbers of spiders 

 may thus be taken and transferred to the tubes. I prefer to kill them at 

 once by placing them for a few minutes in a bottle containing crushed laurel 

 leaves, or a little chloroform, and then to transfer them to the tubes. The 

 spiders from each district should be kept separately, and their place of capture 

 should be written on the label. 



Many of the orb-weaving spiders the Epeiridce may best be found in 

 the early evening, when they appear upon their webs, constructing or repair- 

 ing them. It is not a difficult matter to get them to fall direct into the poison 

 bottle if it is held beneath them. During the day many species of ground 

 spiders, and the jumping and wolf spiders, hide under bark or stones, or behind 

 woodwork ; whilst decayed trees, old willows, wall-copings, corners of sheds 

 and outbuildings, cellars and lofts should be searched carefully. 



Live specimens, brought home in the chip boxes, may be kept alive, a 

 suitable observation cage being made of any small box fitted with a glass 

 front, movable, so that the inmate may be fed with flies or other insects. 



Another method of obtaining specimens is to sift over the dead leaves 

 and debris of woods and hedgerows. A simple sieve can be made of i-inch 

 wire netting ; a sheet of newspaper spread below will catch any spiders that 

 fall from the sieve. 



Generally the small tubes containing the specimens are placed in larger 

 Dottles (wide mouthed and preferably stoppered) containing the same solution 

 as that in the tubes. 



A writer in The Countryside some years ago advocated an excellent method 

 of preserving spiders which I think is new. He mounted his spiders on strips 

 of porcelain glass would serve the purpose as well covered with paraffin 

 wax, the body and legs being placed in position, and fixed by melting the 

 wax in contact with the spider with a hot needle. These slips of porcelain 

 were then kept in bottles, with either methylated spirit or formalin solution. 



Unfortunately spiders cannot be mounted or " set " like insects and ex- 

 posed to the open air. But if it is desired to make the attempt, the spider 



