THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 45 



Naturalist's Voyage. He there remarks that one day 

 (November 1st, 1832) he had paid particular attention to the 

 subject. " The weather had been fine and cahn, and in the 

 evening the air was fuU of patches of the flocculent web, as 

 on an autumnal day in England. The ship was sixty miles 

 distant from the land, in the direction of a steady, though 

 light breeze. Vast numbers of a small spider, about one- 

 tenth of an inch in length, and of a dusky-red colour, 

 were attached to the webs. There must have been, I should 

 suppose, some thousands on the ship. The little spider, 

 when first coming in contact with the rigging, was always 

 seated on a single thread, and not on the flocculent mass. 

 This latter seems merely to be produced by the entanglement 

 of the single threads. The spiders were all ol one species, 

 but of both sexes, together with young ones. These latter 

 were distinguished by their smaller size and more dusky 

 colour." " The little aeronaut, as soon as it arrived on board, 

 was very active, running about, sometimes letting itseK fall, 

 and then re-ascending the same thread, sometimes employing 

 itself in making a small and very irregular mesh in the 

 corners between the ropes. It could run with facility upon 

 the surface of water. When disturbed, it lifted up its front 

 legs in the attitude of attention. On its first arrival it ap- 

 peared very thirsty, and, with exserted maxillae, drank 

 eagerly of drops of water. This same circumstance has 

 been observed by Strack ; may it not be in consequence of 

 the little insect having passed through a dry and airless 

 atmosphere ? Its stock of web seemed inexhaustible. While 

 watching some that were suspended by a single thread, I 

 several times observed that the slightest breath bore them 

 away out of sight in a horizontal line. On another occasion 

 (25th), under similar circumstances, I repeatedly observed 



