Arachnida. 3833 



would be as difficult to account for the appearance of the Apteryx in Anglesea," as for 

 the physiologist to account for the increase of my spider to " ten times its original 

 bulk without material sustenance ; " which, however, T conceive only goes to the ex- 

 tent of the increase, not to the possibility of any increase whatever. I have, at the risk 

 of being thought needlessly prolix, gone into the above explanations, to show what 

 my views were in recording the circumstance, (Zool. 3766). But now, in justice to 

 the readers of the ' Zoologist,' and more especially to Mr. Bree, who concludes that 

 the spider did receive nourishment, though unperceived by me ; as well as to Mr. 

 Browne, who is alarmed at the extent of the increase, and, I trust, to their entire sa- 

 tisfaction, I am enabled to state that they are completely borne out in their conjec- 

 tures, by the result of further observations made on the subject since my communica- 

 tion : for within the last month, not only has a small moth made its appearance within 

 the bird-case, and is now dead in the web, but also a host of minute spiders, probably 

 the progeny of the one I first observed there, and which died last summer. From this 

 I am perfectly ready to acknowledge that the spider, in all probability, did receive 

 sustenance, which must, as Mr. Bree suggests, have been inclosed in the case with the 

 spider, since the case is at this moment perfectly free from crack or crevice, although, 

 as I stated, the fact of its eating anything, or of there having been anything in the 

 case for it to eat, entirely escaped my observation, though repeatedly and searchingly 

 directed to what appeared to me a very unusual circumstance. — Octavius Pickard- 

 Cambridge ; Bloxworth House, April 2, 1853. 



[The following is the account from the ' Banffshire Journal,' alluded to in Mr. 

 Pickard-Cambridge's previous communication, (Zool. 3766). — E. NJ\ 



" A Spider living Twelve Months without Food. — Mr. T. Edwards sends us the 

 following curious particulars: — 'Having mounted and arranged a number of birds, 

 I put them in a case. The case had lain aside for a short time previous to the front, 

 which is of glass, being put on ; and during this time a spider (Aranea domestica), 

 doubtless on the look-out for a canny nook, managed to take up his quarters among 

 the birds, and was not observed until after the front had been attached, and the whole 

 finished. It was a little vexing to see the unwelcome intruder parading about in the 

 box, as regardless of its contents as if they had been as many old rotten sticks. He 

 walked over one bird, then over another ; now in the bottom of the case, then again on 

 the back, sides, &c, until he at last became stationary in one of the corners. Being 

 an eyesore in such a place, he would have been summarily dealt with, but for the case 

 being a close one, and all but hermetically sealed, the re-opening of which would have 

 cost some trouble, and not a little risk. The consequence was that the little creature 

 was permitted to remain, in the hope that want and the confinement would soon ter- 

 minate his existence. In this, however, I have been mistaken ; and from being looked 

 upon as a grievance, he ultimately became an object of some interest, and has in con- 

 sequence already more than fully repaid the stance which he occupies. Towards noon 

 of the second day of his incarceration, he commenced operations in the corner already 

 alluded to, and by breakfast-time of the day following the web was completed. The 

 little artizan was then observed to walk slowly and very sedately all over the newly- 

 formed fabric, seemingly with the view of ascertaining if all was secure. This done, 

 the aperture was next examined, and with more apparent care than was bestowed upon 

 the rest of the structure. This wonderful mechanical contrivance, which serves at least 

 the fourfold purpose of storehouse, banqueting-hall, watch-tower, and asylum in times 

 of danger, being found all right, the artificer then took up his station within it, no doubt 



