36 RIO DHE JANEIRO. [cHAP, IL 
prised at not immediately finding its victim. It then commenced 
as regular a hunt as ever hound did after fox; making short 
semicircular casts, and all the time rapidly vibrating its wings 
and antenne. The spider, though well concealed, was soon dis- 
covered ; and the wasp, evidently still afraid of its adversary’s 
jaws, after much manceuvring, inflicted two stings on the under 
side of its thorax. At last, carefully examining with its antennze 
the now motionless spider, it proceeded to drag away the body. 
But I stopped both tyrant and prey.* 
The number of spiders, in proportion to other insects, is here 
compared with England very much larger; perhaps more so 
than with any other -division of the articulate animals. The 
variety of species among the jumping spiders appears almost 
infinite. The genus, or rather family of Epeira, is here charac- 
terized by many singular forms ; some species have pointed coria- 
ceous shells, others enlarged and spiny tibiz. Every path in the 
forest is barricaded with the strong yellow web of a species, 
belonging to the same division with the Epeira clavipes of Fa- 
bricius, which was formerly said by Sloane to make, in the West 
Indies, webs so strong as to catch birds. A small and pretty 
kind of spider, with very long fore-legs, and- which appears to 
belong to an undescribed genus, lives as a parasite on almost 
every one of these webs. I suppose it is too insignificant to be 
noticed by the great Epeira, and is therefore’allowed to prey on 
the minute insects, which, adhering to the lines, would, otherwise 
be wasted. When frightened, this little spider either feigns 
death by extending its front legs, or suddenly drops from the 
web. <A large Epeira of the same division with Epeira tubercu- 
lata and conica is extremely common, especially in dry situations. 
- Its web, which is generally placed among the great leaves of the 
common agave, is sometimes strengthened near the centre by a 
pair or even four zigzag ribbons, which connect two adjoining 
rays. When any large insect, as a grasshopper or wasp, is 
caught, the spider, by a dexterous movement, makes it revolve 
very rapidly, and at the same time emitting a band of threads 
* Don Felix Azara (vol. i, p. 175), mentioning a hymenopterous msect, 
probably of the same genus, says, he saw it dragging a ‘dead spider through 
tall grass, in a straight line to its nest, which was one hundred and sixty- 
three paces distant. He adds that the wasp, inorder to find the road, every 
now and then made “ demi-tours d@’environ trois palmes.” 
