148 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



the most useful and the most interesting of all the lower form? of 

 animal life. 



Their account as insect destroyers stands all on the credit side ; 

 the usual debit of so much harm — which in the case of many of 

 our insectivorous birds is very large — being nil. Compared with 

 birds, in this respect, spiders exhibit many points of advantage ; 

 and it is a misfortune to the fruit-grower that he does not recognize 

 their value, and at least refrain from killing nearly every one he 

 sees. 



In the first place, those birds which feed on insects in the 

 larvse state only do a great deal of harm by picking off buds, 

 making holes in the fruit and bark of trees, and by pulling up 

 young plants, whilst in search of the grub. 



And, again, those which prey upon the winged insect are 

 mostly diurnal, whilst the moths and beetles are mostly nocturnal ; 

 and, therefore, so far as the birds are concerned, have the field to 

 themselves. 



On the other hand, spiders do no harm to vegetation. They 

 have their traps set night and day ; and, by killing the winged 

 insect, destroy the would-be author of perhaps hundreds of 

 larvae. Moreover, spiders destroy a great number of insects 

 which they do not eat. If, when a spider is enjoying a repast, 

 another insect comes into the web, he runs off and secures the 

 victim and then returns to resume his meal. So each one that 

 comes into the web is secured. I have counted as many as 

 fifteen at a time in one web — enough to enable a spider to fare 

 sumptuously for a week ; but, as often happens when camping 

 out, many things occur which are not in the programme. A storm 

 of wind or rain comes, and away go tent and provisions together. 



I have examined trees at night, and found numbers of flies 

 and butterflies settled on the leaves and branches. This is the 

 hunting-ground of the predatory spiders, which are to be seen 

 running over the trees and capturing any insects that lie in their 

 paths. 



Spiders are useful, not only to the horticulturist, but to every 

 one, even the field naturalist. The smallest spider I have ever 

 seen I discovered one day in the angle of a box-lid, whilst 

 examining some specimens of lepidoptera. It was so small that 

 I had to use a lens in order to be certain whether it was a spider 

 or an insect. Whilst I was looking at it, a very small beetle — 

 the name of which I do not know, although it is well known to 

 all collectors as a destroyer of their specimens — came running 

 along, and was about to pass about half an inch away from the 

 spider, when, to my intense surprise, the little thing darted out 

 from its hiding-place, and ran four times round the beetle, 

 keeping touch with the inner hind leg, in which it carried a very 

 fine thread of web. So sudden was the attack that the beede 



