88 PECKHAM. [Vol. 1, 



the femora of the front pair of legs, adpressed to the thorax, 

 have each a longitudinal red stripe which represents the 

 ferruginous stripe on the sepals of the flower. 



" On another occasion I witnessed the actual capture of a 

 small blue butterfly [Lycmiesthes) by a white spider of the same 

 genus. The butterfly was engaged in honey-sucking on a white 

 flower-head of Lantana, and explored each individual flower 

 with its proboscis. While I was watching it, the butterfly 

 touched and partly walked over what looked like a sliglitly 

 folded or crumpled flower about the middle of the cluster. 

 This turned out to be a spider, which instantly seized the butter- 

 fly, throwing forward its front legs somewhat after the fashion 

 of a Mantis. In this spider the effect of the little depressions 

 on the limb of the corolla was given by some depressed lines on 

 the back of its smooth white abdomen." * 



Among our own Thomisidte we have a pretty example of 

 flower copying in Misumena vatia, a very variable little spider, 

 which is usually golden yellow, living upon the yellow flowers 

 of our fields. Sometimes it is light green, when it is found 

 upon low trees and bushes, and sometimes light pink, living 

 upon wild roses. Each variety is a perfect match, in color, for 

 the leaves upon which it is found. Pavesi says that this species 

 when living on flowers is white, or white or yellow with red 

 stripes on the abdomen ; but that when found among the grass 

 it is grass-green, with dark, obscure stripes on the cephalothorax 

 and palpi. t 



Bright spiders seem to feel the necessity of keeping out of 

 sight more than dull-colored ones. Thus such bright Epeiridee 

 as insularis keep hidden, during the day, in tents by the side of 

 the web, only coming down into the center at night. Bright 

 Therididfe, as frondeum, usually live under leaves. This seems 

 to hold even with Attidas. I have noticed among those kept in 

 captivity that while the dull-colored ones ran about in the box, 



* Boland Trimen, Protective Kesemhlaiices and "Mimicry" in Aitiwals, p. 4. 

 + ioe. cit., p. 5. 



