4IO KALM'S ENGLAND. 



this spider, Spinneln, makes it here in England almost 

 in the same way. The difference is only this, that we 

 found his subtle house and snare not only laid out over 

 the grass, but also on the sides of sloping banks, backar, 

 when the earth had fallen down ; and on these places he 

 commonly chose his house, where some little pit of a 

 hand's breadth [T. II. p. 54], and depth ran into the 

 bank. There he made his cylindrical house down in the 

 aforesaid hole, above which he spread out his net on all 

 sides, that it looked like a great funnel, tratt, especially 

 if there were some small bushes in the neighbourhood, 

 on which he made fast some ends of his net. A fisher- 

 man setting his bownets, Ryssior, cannot set them more 

 cleverly. He had often made his house up in the bushes, 

 where the threads of his net extended a couple of ells on 

 every side from his cylindrical hole, so that no insect 

 could come near the bush without being snared in the 

 net. He himself always sat either at the bottom, or 

 opening of his cylindrical hole, so like an open purse, 

 ready to spring til vags, forward, as soon as there was 

 any booty to win. When any insect was caught, he 

 sprang at once upon it, and bit it several times in the 

 head, then carried it into the entrance of his nest, where 

 he ate it up. It was enjoyable to see what work he had 

 with the Curculionidce beetles ; for as these are covered 

 over with a hard shell he could next to never reduce 

 them to order. As soon as they came on his net he 

 seized them, but they were so clever that they drew in 

 the feet and head. He then bit them well on the shell, 

 but without effect ; then, as soon as he left them they 

 again began to crawl, when he sprang up again and bit 

 them : but equally in vain, so that he at last became 

 tired, and let them go their way. He had always down 

 in the bottom of his house a hole through which, when 

 pressed by necessity, he could have his escape, and not 



