INTRODUCTION. XXI*. 



me, among British spiders, is that of Micaria scintillans, Cambr. 

 (p. 12), found in some abundance in the Isle of Port- 

 land. This spider so nearly resembles a large ant, -which 

 abounds in the same locality, that it requires the socond look of 

 even a practised eye to be sure whether it be really the 

 spider or the ant. Tho advantage, or "protective effect," 

 afforded to the one thus resembling another, is not always 

 easy to be understood at once; it may often consist 

 in the protection from certain dangers, to which the creature 

 resembled is either not liable, or may be specially guarded 

 against; thus the ants of Portland, being of a hard and 

 horny nature may not be a favourite food for those enemies 

 which would find an agreeable morsel in the softer and more 

 succulent spider ; the latter, therefore, would deceive, and so 

 escape such enemies, from its rosemblance to the distasteful ante. 

 In other cases (and, possibly, also in the one just montioned) the 

 resemblance may give the resembler a chance of obtaining its 

 prey more easily. Thus, in the South of Africa there is (in 

 Oaffraria) a spider resembling an ant even more closely than the 

 Portland species ; the habit of this ant is to feed on the honey- 

 dew along with multitudes of insects of other orders; these 

 latter have no dread nor suspicion of the ants, which, in fact, 

 have a common object in view, and do the other insects no harm ; 

 but thon, under cover of a close resemblance to the ants, come the 

 spiders, who, unsuspected and unresisted, regale themselves at 

 thoir leisure upon the defenceless insects i* 



Akin to this kind of rosomblance, is that which many spiders 

 bear to various other objocts, such as tho buds and blossoms of 

 plants, bits of lichen, small stones, and even the droppings of 

 birds ; also to the colour of the surrounding surface; whether 

 of the ground, or of the bark of trees, or of walls ; or to the 

 tints of the loaves of trees and plants, and the petals of flowers. 

 Misumena vatia (before noticed) is an example of this kind of 

 resemblance. I find this spider very commonly in the blooms 



• This interesting faot has been kindly communicated to me, together 

 ■with specimens of the spidor and aut iu question, by an anthuaiastio 

 naturalist and colonist in South Africa, Mr. J. P. Mansel-Weale. 



