SPIDERS. 567 



from which the drawings were made are in the collection of the 

 British Museum, some in the upper and others in the lower 

 rooms. Of the architects, the manner in which the nests were 

 made, and the reasons why they were so singularly constructed, 

 I can say nothing, because no record is attached to the specimens. 

 Still, they are so curious that they have found a place in this 

 work, and it is to be hoped that the very fact of their publicity 

 will induce travellers to search for more specimens and to describe 

 their history. 



Differing as they do in shape, colour, and material, they have 

 one object in common, namely, the rearing of the young. They 

 are clearly nests in the true sense of the word, being devoted 

 not to the parents, but to the offspring. At the upper part of 

 the illustration may be seen a number of long, spindle-shaped 

 bodies, suspended from a branch. These are drawn about half 

 the full size, in order to allow other specimens to be introduced 

 into the same illustration for the purpose of comparison. In 

 colour they are nearly white, with a slight yellowish tinge, and 

 are very soft and delicate of texture, so that when viewed in a 

 good light they form a very striking group of objects. 



Immediately below these nests may be seen a singular-looking 

 object, which few would recognise as the work of a spider. 

 Such, however, is the case, the creature being urged by instinct 

 to take several concave seed-pods, and to fix them together, as 

 seen in the drawing. The seed-pods are fastened firmly to- 

 gether with the silken thread of which webs are made, and in 

 the interior the eggs are placed. The drawing is reduced about 

 one-third in proportion to the actual object. Several of these 

 singular nests are in the collection at the British Museum. 



Occupying the lower part of the illustration is seen a leaf 

 upon which are piled a number of fragments of leaves, so as to 

 form a rudely conical heap. This is also the work of a spider, 

 and is made with even more ingenuity than the two preceding 

 specimens. In the first instance, the spider has spun a hollow case 

 of silk, similar in principle of construction, though not in form, 

 to the spherical egg cases made by several British spiders. In 

 the second instance, the creature has chosen a number of con- 

 cave seed-pods, and, by adjusting their edges together and fasten- 

 ing them with silk, made a hollow nest, which only requires to 

 be lined in order to make it a fit nursery for the young. But, in 



