REPUTED BIRD-CATCHING SPIDERS. 139 



well as the perfect insect, are described and figm*ed in the 

 Field Naturalist's Magazine, vol. ii. p. 57. 



The harmony which nature has established between the 

 colours of these insects and the places which they inhabit, must 

 not be passed over in silence. The species of Epeira which 

 weave their webs in the air, the Thomisi, which hide them- 

 selves in tiowers, and the Sparassi, which run over the green 

 sward, have the body either of an uniform lively green, 

 yellow, or purple coloui-, or varied with handsome markings ; 

 whilst the My gale, LycoscB, and AranecB, which conceal 

 themselves under stones and in obscm-e situations, are of 

 brown, black, or other obscure colours, like the places where 

 they reside. This interesting conformity of colour to habits 

 may also be noticed as reigning in other parts of the insect 

 world. 



The most gigantic species of the order compose the genus 

 Mygale (Walckenaer), some of which, in a state of repose, 

 occupy a circular space of six or seven inches in diameter. 

 The ty|)e of this genus is the Aranea avicularia Linn., 

 respecting the habits of which great incorrectness appears to 

 have prevailed amongst naturalists. We are indebted to Mr. 

 MacLeay for a correction of these errors ; the following being 

 an abstract of the communication of this gentleman, published 

 in the first volume of the Transactions of the Zoological So- 

 ciety of London. The story of a spider which catches and 

 devours birds appears to have had its origin with Madame 

 Merian, who, in her splendid work upon the insects of Su- 

 rinam, asserted, that our spider not only caught but devour- 

 ed small birds, and figured the Mygale avicularia in the act 

 of preying upon a humming-bird. Now, the Mygale does 

 not spin a net [Madame Merian does not assert that it does 

 do so], but resides in holes under groimd, and in all its 

 movements keeps close to the earth, while humming birds 

 never perch except on branches. The food of Mygale con- 



