Weavers and Spinners. 



I should suppose, some thousands on the ship. The 

 little spider, when first coming in contact with the 

 rigging, was always seated on a single thread, and not 

 on the flocculent mass. This latter seems merely to 

 be produced by the entanglement of the single threads. 

 The spiders were all of one species, but of both sexes, 

 together with young ones. These latter were distin- 

 guished by their smaller size and more dusky colour. 

 The little aeronaut as soon as it arrived on board was 

 very active running about, sometimes letting itself fall, 

 and then ] reascending the same thread ; sometimes 

 employing itself in making a small and very irregular 

 mesh in the corners between the ropes. It could 

 run with facility on the surface of w^ter. When dis- 

 turbed, it lifted up its front legs in the attitude of atten- 

 tion. On its first arrival it appeared very thirsty, and 

 with exserted maxillae drank eagerly of drops of water ; 

 this same circumstance has been observed by Strack : 

 may it not be in consequence of the little insect having 

 passed through a dry and rarefied atmosphere ? Its 

 stock of web seemed inexhaustible. While watching 

 some that were suspended by a single thread, I several 

 times observed that the slightest breath of air bore 

 them away out of sight, in a horizontal line. Qn another 

 occasion (25th), under similar circumstances, I repeat- 

 edly observed the same kind of small spider, either 

 when placed or having crawled on some little eminence, 

 elevate its abdomen, send forth a thread, and then sail 

 away horizontally, but with a rapidity which was quite 

 unaccountable. One day at St. F6 I had a better oppor- 

 tunity of observing some similar facts. A spider which 

 was about three-tenths of an inch in length, while stand- 



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