*7 



nest of regular circular threads but zig-zag every way and of great 

 strength, equal to about ordinary tissue paper. The spiders 

 seemed to live at the bottom, as there were none at the upper 

 part. Their cocoons were circular and about a quarter of an inch 

 in diameter, fastened to the lower side of leaves, which were curved 

 round so as to form a protection to them. Under these leaves 

 the spiders were mostly congregated, 8 or 9 together, male and 

 female. This is the only instance that I know of really grega- 

 rious spiders ; though Mr. Darwin gives an instance in his 

 1 Voyage of a Naturalist,' of a South American spider, a 

 species of Epeira that makes its webs in close contiguity, and 

 all attached to certain common lines of great length, and 

 extending to all parts of the community ; of which he says, 

 ' These gregarious habits in so typical a genus as Epeira, present 

 a singular case among insects which are so bloodthirsty and 

 solitary, that even the sexes attack each other.' The spiders 

 which I describe were more remarkable even than these, for they 

 were living in a common nest, freely mixing, young and old. 



I have just caught a handsome greenish beetle. It was moving 

 slowly along the top of the grass-like plant mentioned before, 

 also another curious spider, a male, formed so exactly like an ant 

 that I mistook it for one, and would likely have thrown it away 

 as an ant ; only I am bottling any new species of ants that I see, 

 and noticed that this one was differently coloured from other 

 ants I had captured. It is light brown, with white spots on 

 the abdomen ; and ants, as is well known, have the body divided 

 into three parts, joined by small petioles, the head forming the 

 first part, the thorax the second, and the abdomen the third ; 

 while spiders have but two divisions of the body, the cephalo- 

 thorax and the abdomen; however, this spider had a contraction 

 in the abdomen making it appear in two. I also noted that this 

 spider had not the restless, fearless habit of the ant, but crept 

 under a leaf and hid there. In front of me there is a curious 

 tree about 30 feet high, up the trunk of which, to the height of 

 8 or 9 feet, there are strong, sharp pointed spines, like nails on a 

 telegraph post, only they have a large round base. Possibly they 

 are to serve the same protective purpose. I have just come in 



