PREFACE. i 
— 
In the second volume I shall take up and treat in the same way the 
habits and industry associated with mating and maternal instincts, the 
life of the young, the distribution of species, and other general 
Planof habits indicated in the appended table of contents. The third 
IL anatir, Volume of the series will be a systematic presentation of the 
Orbweavers of the United States, and this I hope to make toler- 
ably complete. The descriptions will be accompanied by a number of 
plates drawn in the best style of lithographic art, and painted by hand in 
the colors of nature. 
The above plan is the result of an entire change in my original pur- 
pose, which was to write a natural history of all American spiders, following 
consecutively and separately the several tribes, beginning with the Orb- 
weavers. A vast amount of material has been gathered with 
this purpose in view, but I have found that the work thus 
marked out is so great that I doubt my ability to accomplish it 
all. For, even should my life be sufficiently lengthened to overtake the 
entire field mapped out, the expense of the undertaking appears to be an 
impassable barrier. I have, therefore, concluded to introduce, in the com- 
parative way referred to, such notes of tribes, other. than Orbweavers, as 
seemed most desirable and important, for solution of the various problems 
which have arisen as my studies progressed. Thus, while the Orbweavers 
are treated fully, the natural history of all other tribes of our spider fauna 
comes well into view. Although I confess some regret at the abandonment 
of the original plan, I am confident that most naturalists will agree with 
me that the present treatment adds to the value of the volumes now pub- 
lished, and is, perhaps, after all the best that could have been adopted. 
There is another point at which this work departs from my original 
plan. As my observations have especially traversed the spinning habits of 
spiders, it seemed important to make a careful study of the spin- 
Study of ning organs, not only of Orbweavers, but of all other spider 
oe tribes. It was thought that such a comparative study would not 
only give valuable hints in the systematic determination of the 
animals, but would have an especial bearing upon the variations in spin- 
ning habit. It was inferred that there must be some connection between 
special function and the organs thereof. In this line work was begun and. 
- prosecuted far enough to see how promising and interesting is the field. 
But a severe attack of sickness, whose consequences were felt for several 
years, compelled an entire cessation of work with the dissecting knife and 
microscope. I was, therefore, reluctantly compelled to omit from the open- 
ing chapters much material which I had hoped to present, and to limit 
my illustrations to the few which are really necessary to give the reader a 
correct idea of the structure of the spinning organs and the manner in 
which the spinning material of spiders is formed. Even these illustrations 
I have borrowed in part from others. I venture to express the hope that 
Original 
Plan. 
