150 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



to count them. To this he attaches a thread of fine silk, the 

 other end of which is fastened to the end of his walking-stick or 

 umbrella. All being ready, he looks around for a stranger who 

 is watching the auctioneer, fully intent upon the business of the 

 day, and, walking quietly up behind him, lowers the spider just 

 in front of the brim of his hat. The result is everything he could 

 wish. The victim gives a sudden start and makes a blow, which, 

 however, does not strike the spider, but sends his hat flying 

 amongst the crowd, much to the amusement of all concerned in 

 the joke. 



Now, as this almost universal dislike to spiders cannot apply 

 to field naturalists, who see something to admire and like in all 

 Nature's works, I am driven to attribute the neglect which they 

 have received from members of this club to the difficulties met 

 with in setting up a collection. These difficulties, however, may 

 be overcome, and at our next meeting I hope to exhibit about a 

 hundred species mounted on slips of glass in spirit. We all know 

 that collecting alone is not the main object of the naturalist, but 

 as a means of identification, and the working out of the life-history 

 of species, it is of the greatest value. The work of collecting around 

 Melbourne has been so well worked out that little remains to be 

 discovered in that direction ; therefore I think that we — the non- 

 scientific members of the club — should direct our attention more 

 thoroughly to the study of the habits and life-history of the lower 

 forms of animal life, and, by making our discoveries known, 

 endeavour to assist specialists who have made natural science a 

 special study — and of whom, I am happy to say, we have a good 

 number in our club — in carrying out the higher scientific work. 



Many popular errors exist in regard to snakes, spiders, and 

 insects supposed to be dangerous to mankind, which can be 

 corrected only by a careful study of their habits, Sic. No branch 

 of natural history possesses so many attractions as an observation 

 of the lower forms of animal life, and the more such observations 

 are multiplied the more fascinating the work becomes. 



The study of spiders offers many advantages to the observer. 

 He does not require to make long journeys into the country, in 

 order to study their habits. Nature has been profuse in supplying 

 us with an abundance of materials for observation close to our 

 doors. Each tree, and each little plant, has several spiders 

 secreted amongst its branches and leaves. Go into a cellar or 

 an old shed, turn over an old log or a stone, strip the bark from 

 a tree, or look among the weeds and grass, you will find spiders 

 everywhere, each genus living a different mode of life, but all 

 carrying on the same good work, that of keeping down insect 

 pests. If you buy a load of wood, you will get many things for 

 which you do not pay — sometimes it is a snake, or a scorpion, 

 but always spiders. 



