ON THE NETS OF GEOMETRIC SPIDERS. 277 
well deserving of more minute investigation than 
has hitherto been bestowed upon it, on the present 
occasion I propose to limit my observations to the 
manner in which several British species of Hpeire, 
commonly denominated Geometric Spiders, construct 
their snares. 
By the elegance of their symmetrical structure, 
and their extreme delicacy of texture, the nets of 
these uneducated geometricians never fail to excite 
astonishment, even in the most thoughtless observer ; 
and the pen of the natural historian has been fre- 
quently employed in describing the singular process 
by which they are formed. Among the various 
authors whose works I have consulted, Messrs. 
Kirby and Spence have given the most circumstan- 
tial account of this process, in their comprehensive 
and excellent ‘Introduction to Entomology,’ vol. i. 
letter xiii.; I shall, therefore, avail myself of what 
those gentlemen have done, without reserve, intro- 
ducing such particulars, in addition, as have resulted 
from my own researches, and attempting to solve a 
few of those difficulties which they have left without 
explanation. 
The Geometric Spiders usually suspend their nets 
in an oblique or nearly vertical position, fixing them 
to trees, shrubs, plants, buildings, &c., in places where 
the insects they prey upon abound. After selecting 
a suitable situation for her purpose, the spider’s first 
operation, in most instances, is to enclose an area, 
