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CHAPTER XXXI. 



MISCELLANEA. 



The Raft Spider— Why so called— Mode of obtaining prey—Mice and theit 

 homes— The Campagnol or Harvest Mouse— Its general habits— Its winter 

 and summer nest— Its storehouse and provisions— Entrance to the nest— The 

 Wood Mouse and its nest— Uses of the Field Mice— The Domestic Mouse 

 —Various nests— Rapidity of nest-building— A nest in a bottle— The cell of 

 the Queen Termite— Its entrances and exits— Size of the inmates— The 

 Clothes Moths and their various species— Habitations of the Clothes Moth, 

 and the method of formation and enlargement — The Elk and its winter 

 home— The snow fortress and its leaguers— Its use, advantages, and dangers 

 — The Albatros and its mode of nesting — Strange scenes— The Edible 

 Swallow — Its mode of nesting — Origin of its name — Description of the nest 

 — The Eagle and its mode of nesting — Difficulty of reaching the eyrie— The 

 Nightingale and its nest — Other ground-building birds and their temporary 

 homes — The Noddy — Perilous position of the eggs, and young — The Coot, 

 and its semi-aquatic nest. 



In this, the concluding chajoter, are described sundry habitations 

 which cannot well be classed in any of the previously mentioned 

 groups, and which present some peculiarities which render them 

 worthy of a separate notice. 



The reader will remember that the water spider is in the 

 habit of constructing beneath the water a permanent home, to 

 which it retires with the prey Avhich it has caught, and in which 

 it brings up its young. There is another spider which frequents 

 the water, but which only makes a temporary and moveable 

 residence. This is the Raft Spider {Dolomedes fimhriatus) 

 which is represented in the illustration of its natural size. 



As may be seen by reference to the figure, it is a large species, 

 being, indeed, one of the largest British spiders, its size depend- 

 ing more upon the dimensions of the body than the length of 

 the limbs. It is a remarkably handsome spider, its general 



