278 



JIygai.e.- 



-INSECTS.- 



-CKAr.-SPIDEI!S. 



Species of the genus Myrjale were formerly believed 

 to spin webs of sufficient strength to entangle small 

 birds, upon which the}' were said to prey ; such is 

 certainly not the case, as tlie species of Mygale do not 

 spin webs. We were told, however, by a traveller in 

 Brazil, that on one occasion he detected a large Mygale 

 sucking the blood of a small unfledged bird that pro- 

 bably had fallen out of its nest; or, the creature might 

 have carried it off. These insects reside in holes in the 

 ground, and belong to the division of hunting spiders; 

 they seize upon large species of locusts, cockroaches, 

 and other insects, which they carry off to their dens. 

 The species of Mygale in fig. 178 is from Brazil ; the 

 figure is about half the natural size. The only species 

 of the family of the Mtjgalidw Ibund in Great Britain, 

 is the Atijpus Suheri, a large and formidable insect, 

 v.'hich, when full-grown, is two inches in length ; it 

 is a stout reddish-brown creature, having rather short, 

 thick legs; its falces are strong, prominent, curved 

 organs, furnished with teeth on the under side. Alto- 

 gether it is the most powerful of our hunting spiders; 

 it is a local species, but not uncommon in many of the 

 lanes in Kent, particularly in the neighbourhood of 

 Dartford and Dover. This insect excavates a tunnel 

 in the ground, inside of which it spins a tube of white 

 silk ; this material also covers a space round the entrance 

 to its burrow. This species appears to prey by rn'ght, 

 for it has not been noticed out of its nest by daylight. 



Spiders are rapacious creatures, and live almost en- 

 tirely upon insects; their mode of securing their prey 

 differs in manner, as well as in the degree of ingenuity 

 displayed in elTecting their object. Some species depend 

 upon the rapidity with which they run ; others approach 

 their victims with caution and circumspection, when cat- 

 like, at a sudden spring they seize their prey; but the 

 most ingenious of all modes, and that which has always 

 attracted the notice and excited the admiration of man- 

 kind, is the spinning of beautiful silken webs, such 

 as are spread by the well-known Epdra diadeian, the 

 garden-siiidor, and its allies. Tlie surprising manner in 

 which these silken nets are suspended in the required 

 position, cannot but have been observed by every one; 

 then again with what knowledge and foresight does the 

 creature strengthen the cables, by which they are kept 

 in position on the approach of windy weather; how 

 neatly and completely are all necessary repairs effected, 

 and what a beautiful provision in natiu'e that such crea- 

 tures should spin these webs, catch their prey by these 

 means, and thus contribute to a necessary reduction of 

 the numbers of many species of insects, performing an 

 important part in the economy of nature! 



We have alluded to such species only as pass their 

 lives in the earth, in holes in walls, &c., or which prin- 

 cipally live on shrubs and trees ; but others run with 

 facility on water, occasionally dive into it, and even 

 pass much of their time immersed in it. Anjyroneta 

 aquutica, in fact, may be said to be aquatic. It catches 

 its prey, constructs its dwelling, and lives entirely 

 under water. Other species pass much of their time in 

 water, but it appears to be necessary that they should 

 occasionally quit that element. 



We must now point out another diversity in the 

 habits of spiders, by noticing such as are aeronautic. 



Spiders have no wings, but by throwing out a number 

 of gossamer-like filaments, numerous species are enabled 

 through their buoyancy to ascend into, and sail through 

 the air, to consider.able distances. These aerial flights 

 are supposed to be taken for the pui^poses of migration, 

 and may be frequently witnessed in autumn, when the 

 weather is remarkably serene. On such occasions these 

 minute spiders ascend blades of grass, the tips of twigs, 

 &c. ; and, taking their position on the tops, they emit 

 from their spinnarets a quantity of viscid fluid, whicli, 

 drying instantly, floats about in fine fibres; and, catch- 

 ing tlie rarefied current of air which ascends on such 

 occasions, the little animals are borne aloft floating 

 about in the air ; and doubtless, on these excursions, 

 numerous small inse(!ts are entangled in the webs, and 

 are preyed upon by the aijrial voyagers. 



The species of the genus Phalangium are the well- 

 known Harvestmen that abound in the autumn, and at 

 that time may be observed running on the ground, 

 plants, &c., in great numbers. They are rapacious, 

 their long legs enabling them to run with gre.at rapidity. 



The little Scorpion spiders, so numerous in hedges 

 and thick bushes, belong to the genus Clielifer. These 

 little creatures are by the unscientific called scorpions, 

 to which they bear a close resemblance. They belong, 

 however, to the true spiders. Their bodies are oval 

 and depressed ; their palpi longer than the body, form- 

 ing, as it were, two arms, each terminated by a double 

 claw ; their legs are short, and furnished at their extre- 

 mities with two claws. These creatures can either run 

 in a straight direction, or, crab-like, sideways, at plea- 



o, Acrosoma arciiata; ?',Gasteracantlia; /■,Salticusf<innicarius(malL'). 



sure. There are four or five known British species, 

 and numerous exotic ones from other countries. 



The species composing the genus Gasteracantha are 



