Arachnida — Insects. 9471 



Habits of Spiders.— I most cordially echo the wish of the Rev, E. Horton, in the 

 November number of the 'Zoologist' (Zool. 9331), that arachnidists would more 

 frequently send ycJii their notes. Ahliovioli knowing nolliing of spiders scientitically, 

 I have always been fond of observing the very interesting habits of the web-builders, 

 and have a remark or two to make on Mr. Horton's conjectures. As to the first, if the 

 spiders had built and were occupying webs, they were undoubtedly nut hybernating; 

 and, as to a desire to be on good terms with their neighbours, I fear spiders are total 

 strangers to such a feeling, even as regards their own species, except at breeding time. 

 Secondly, I have never known a spider of any kind refuse a moth, and they seem to 

 prey on all insects they can overcome. The third reason is no doubt the true one. 

 Spiders which build open webs, similar to that of the garden spider, never, as far as I 

 have seen, touch an insect that has not been in their webs : in the full ardour of pur- 

 suit, they do occasionally endeavour to seize one that has just escaped, and house 

 spiders more frequently do so; the latter might endeavour to catch one that had 

 never touched its web, if very near it, though I myself never saw such a case, nor did 

 I ever see a spider that had so far exhausted its stock of web as to be unable to con- 

 struct a fresh one, seize a loose insect, though they are said to do so. Having thus, as 

 far as I can, answered Mr. Horton's queries, I beg in turn to ask one: Do those 

 spiders which live upon the insects caut,'ht in other webs ever reform, as one may say, 

 and build webs of their own ? I fancy I have noticed such cases. One thing is cer- 

 tain, they are never entirely destitute of a supply of web ; in fact, I have seen one 

 expend as much in winding up a crane fly, caught in another spider's web, as would 

 build a small web. I should much like to have an opinion from a good observer 

 about this. — N. C. Tiiely ; Wandsworth. 



Life-Histories of Saw flies. Translated from the Dutch of M. Snellen 

 van Vollenhoven, by J. W. May, Esq. 



(Continued from page 9265). 



Phymatocera aterrima, King. 

 Imago, Hartig, Blatt. und Holzwespen, p, 276, No. 361. King, 



Blaltw. Gatt. und Arten. Fam. 2, No. 70, in Magazin der 



Gesellsch. Naiurforsch. Freunde, 8 year, p. 82. 

 Larva, Lyonet, Recherches sur VAnat, Sfc, p. 151, pi. 14. Bouch^, 



Naturgesch. der Ins. p. 136 (under the name of Tenthredo 



(Alanthus) fuliginosa.) 



Phymatocera aterrima, parum nitida, alls nigrescentibus ac simul 

 hides coloribus relucentibus, stigmate fuliginoso, puncto corneo 

 in cellula cubitali secunda. 



Both sexes of this sawfly had been met with by Mr. Van der Wulp 

 and myself in the wood at the Hague, but we had not been able to 

 (find the larva there, its food-plant being unknown to us. If we could 



