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The snares of Linyphia consist of a horizontal sheet of web 

 suspended from various points on the upper side, by vertical lines 

 to the different surrounding objects, as the leaves of trees and 

 shrubs or stems of plants, and similarly braced down to other 

 objects underneath. The spider usually lies in wait in an 

 inverted position beneath the horizontal sheet. Numerous lines 

 are spun in all directions above, which serve to entangle flies 

 and other insects, and these, falling down in their efforts to get 

 free, are caught by the horizontal sheet and quickly captured. 



The various species of Linyphia are found on trees, bushes, 

 shrubs, and herbage, as well as in caverns, crevices, and holes 

 of rocks and walls ; also in unused rooms and old buildings, and 

 under stones. Among them are some of our commonest spiders. 

 The beautiful objects so conspicuous on heather, and furze bushea, 

 when covered with dewdrops, on a bright, fresh, early autumnal 

 morning, are mainly the webs of Linyphia montana, Clerck. 

 at times the bushes appear to be covered with them as 

 if by magic, scarcely one perhaps having been visible on the 

 previous afternoon ; and without doubt almost all have been the 

 product of the previous night's labours. 



In distinguishing spiders of this genus from those of other 

 genera of the same family ( Theridiides ) there will be little 

 difficulty (excepting in one or two groups closely allied to 

 Neriene) if the spines on the legs be looked for. "Wherever dis- 

 tinct spines are found, there, as a rule (more especially if the 

 legs of the second pair are longer than those of the fourth), we 

 may conclude that we have a Linyphia, and not a Theridion, or 

 one of any of its allied genera, nor yet a Neriene, Walchnaera, 

 Tapinopa, or Pachygnatha. 



Sixty-eight species of Linyphia have been found in Britain ; 

 and of these forty-three have occurred in Dorsetshire. 



It is probable that on a revision of this genus (which is much 

 needed) several good genera will be established, including per- 

 haps those, of Herr Menge, mentioned in the synonyms above 

 given. 



