SFIDEKS OF (ilElJXSEY. 371 



enthnsiastic collector that, in a very literal sense, he should 

 leave no stone unturned, or any loose piece of wood or 

 bark unexamined. As snmmer advances the beating-net may 

 be used with the greatest advantage, and it will then be seen 

 how really abundant spiders are. 



The kind of beating-net I have used during the past 

 twenty years, not only for spiders, but for minute coleoptera, 

 lepidopterous larva?, and various other kinds of insects, is 

 a very simple affair which need not cost more than a fcAv 

 pence. The frame is made of stout galvanised wdre, the ends 

 being soldered into a tin tube three inches long, and three 

 quarters of an incli in diameter. This serves for the handle, 

 and to make it more convenient for holding, a smooth plug of 

 wood is firmly fixed into it, and projects about a couple 

 of inches beyond the end of the tube. In shape the frame 

 somewhat resembles an inverted horse-shoe, having a straight 

 top, 8 inches across, to rest against a Avail or a bank when 

 beating into the net. The longest diameter of the wire 

 frame, from the handle to the straight top is 14 inches, and 

 the g^reatest width 12 inches. The bag-net supported by the 

 frame is made of slate-grey jean, or some other strong smooth 

 material, and is about 11 inches in vertical depth, well rounded 

 at the bottom (this is important) and double-seamed, so that 

 there are no angles or corners where minute specimens can 

 conceal themselves. The net is, of course, reversible, so that 

 there is no difference between inside and outside, — and that 

 is all. 



A net of this kind is useful for other jmrposes besides 

 beating. For example, it is very handy in capturing some of 

 the nimble-footed Lycosids (which, when alarmed, seem to 

 fly rather than run) on heaths strewn with furze-prickles, or 

 among dry bramble stems where it would be almost an 

 impossibility to capture them by hand ; whereas, by coaxing 

 or driving them into the net, they are easily secured. And 

 then again, the net is better than a newspaper for shaking- 

 out tufts of grass and debris upon, as a smart tap on the frame 

 will send any escaping spiders down to the bottom again, 

 where they may be bottled without any trouble. 



In collecting spiders care should be taken to avoid, 

 as far as possible, touching them with the fingers. The 

 best plan, and the easiest, is to capture the specimen in 

 an empty glass tube, and then transfer it immediately into 

 another tube half filled wdth methylated spirit, which is carried 

 in the waistcoat pocket. The little bottles I find most 

 convenient for this purpose are those commonly used for 



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