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 

 I used 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 just 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 

 end of the year swept away into the sea, and buried in the ocean, 

 and leave nothing behind them but their eggs, for a new stock the 

 next year." 



