SENSE OF Touca 303 



other resource than to make war on a weaker spider, drive him 

 out of his net and usurp possession thereof Such being the 

 case, the spiders are all very chary of using their silk, and never 

 trouble themselves to make webs when a stonn is impending 

 They are therefore very excellent barometers, and if the spiders 

 all take to mending their nets or spinning new webs, fine weather 

 is always at hand. 



One very remarkable point in the construction of these webs, 

 so exactly true in all their proportions, is that they are executed 

 entirely by the sense of touch. The eyes are situated on the 

 front of the body and on the upper surface, whereas the spinnerets 

 are placed at the very extremity of the body and on the under 

 surface, the threads being always guided by one of the hind legs, 

 as may be seen by watching a garden spider in the act of 

 buUding or repairing her web. In order that the fact should 

 be placed beyond a doubt, spiders have been confined in total 

 darkness, and yet have spun webs which were as true and as 

 perfect as those which are made in daylight. 



A PECUiiAELT beautiful pensile cocoon is constructed by a 

 common British spider, scientifically termed Agelena brunnea, 

 but which has no popular name. It is really remarkable that, 

 considering the great number of species which inhabit England, 

 so very few should have been sufficiently distinguished to receive 

 popiUar names. Owing, in all probability, to the foolish dislike 

 cowards spiders entertained by most persons, a dislike which 

 has been instilled into their minds at a very early age, these 

 wonderful and interesting creatures are seldom watched, and there 

 are very few persons, who really know one spider fix»m another, 

 or who have any idea of their exceeding usefulness when in the 

 places which they were intended to inhabit. Spiders are cer- 

 tainly out of their place in a room, and the housemaid is 

 perfectly justified in exterminating them, but in the garden or 

 the field they should never be injured, but rather encouraged as 

 much as possible. 



The species whose beautiful nest will now be described is 

 generally to be found upon commons, especially where gorse is 

 abundant, as it generally hangs its nest to the prickly leaves of 

 that shrub. The cocoon is shaped rather like a wine glass, and 

 is always hung with the mouth downwards, being fastened by 

 the stalk to a leaf or twig of the gorse. It is very small, only 



