166 APTERA. 



cessary to defend them. At other times spiders 

 are very fearful, and fly with precipitation when- 

 ever they are approached ; but if by any chance 

 while the female is carrying her little ones on 

 her back one of them should fall off, she would 

 rather perish than abandon it, and will wait 

 with firmness till all danger be passed ; after 

 which the young one will remount, and the 

 mother continue her journey. She is devoted 

 to her eggs, which she never abandons. If 

 they are taken from her, she exhibits the greatest 

 degree of inquietude, moving about with rapi- 

 dity from place to place in search of them : if they 

 are restored, she seizes them with precipitation, 

 and runs offas fast as possible. This fondness of 

 the spiders for their young is the more remark- 

 able, as they are a solitary race, appearing to 

 avoid and hate their fellows, and even devouring 

 each other when they have an opportunity. 



Birds are for the most part very fond of spi- 

 ders, and destroy vast numbers of them. They 

 are also the prey of other insects, particularly 

 of the Sphex and the Ichneumon. This may 

 be illustrated by an extract from some manu- 



