On North American Spiders. 115 
the midland parts, and consequently towards the sea. As here in 
New-England, the fair weather is only when the wind is westerly, 
the land being on that side, and the ocean on the easterly. And I 
never have seen any of these spiders flying, but when they have been 
hastening directly towards the sea. And the time of their flying be- 
ing so long, even from about the middle of August every sunshiny 
day, until about the end of October; (though their chief time, as I 
observed before, is the latter end of August, and beginning of Sep- 
tember ;) and they never flying from the sea, but always towards it, 
must needs get there at last; for it is unreasonable to suppose that 
they have sense enough to stop themselves when they come near the 
sea; for then they would have hundreds of times as many spiders 
upon the sea-shore, as any where else. ; 
“The same also holds-true of other sorts of flying insects ; for at 
these times, that I have viewed the spiders with their webs in the air, 
there has also appeared vast multitudes of flies, and all flying the 
same way with the spiders and webs directly to the ocean; and even 
such as butterflies, millers and moths, which keep in the grass at this 
time of year, I have seen vastly higher than the tops of the highest 
trees, all going the same way. ‘These I have seen towards evening, 
Without such a screen to defend my eyes from the sunbeams ; which 
Tused to think were seeking a warmer climate. 
“The reason of their flying at that time of year, I take to be be- 
cause then the ground and trees, the places of their residence in 
summer, begin to be chilly and uncomfortable. Therefore when 
the sun shines pretty warm they leave them, and mount up in the air, 
and expand their wings to the sun, and flying for nothing but their 
own ease and comfort, they suffer themselves to go that way, that 
they find that they can go with the greatest ease, and so where the 
Wind pleases; and it being warmth they fly for, they find it cold and 
laborious flying, against the wind. They therefore seem to use their 
Wings, but juist so much as to bear them up, and suffer them to go 
with the wind. So that without doubt almost all aerial insects, and 
also spiders which live upon trees and are made up of them, are at the 
a Mia edt swept away into the sea, and buried in the gre 
@ nothing behind them but their eggs, for a new stock the 
next year,” j : 
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