GROUND-BEETLES 



71 



future chapter. Many species of Mygale, those mon- 

 strous hairy spiders, half a foot in expanse, which attract 

 the attention so much in museums, are found in sandy 

 places at Nazareth. The different kinds have the most 

 diversified habits. Some construct, amongst the tiles or 

 thatch of houses, dens of closely-woven web, which, in 

 texture, very much resembles fine musUn ; these axe 

 often seen crawling over the walls of apartments. Others 

 build similar nests in trees, and are known to attack 

 birds. One very robust fellow, the Mygale Blondii, 

 burrows into the earth, forming a broad, slanting gallery, 

 about two feet long, the sides of which he lines beautifully 

 with silk. He is nocturnal in his habits. Just before 

 sunset he may be seen keeping watch within the mouth 

 of his tunnel, disappearing suddenly when he hears a 

 heavy foot-tread near his hiding-place. The number of 

 spiders ornamented with showy colours was somewhat 

 remarkable. Some double themselves up at the base of 

 leaf-stalks, so as to resemble flower-buds, and thus de- 

 ceive the insects on which they prey. The most extra- 

 ordinary-looking spider was a species of Acrosoma, which 

 had two curved bronze-coloured spines, an inch and a 

 half in length, proceeding from the tip of its abdomen. 

 It spins a large web, the monstrous appendages being 

 apparently no impediment to it in its work ; but what 

 their use can be I am unable to divine. 



Coleoptera, or beetles, at first seemed to be very scarce. 

 This apparent scarcity has been noticed in other equatorial 

 countries and arises, probably, from the great heat of 

 the sun not permitting them to exist in exposed situations, 

 where they form such conspicuous objects in Europe. 

 Many hundred species of the different families can be 

 found, when they are patiently searched for in the shady 

 places to which they are confined. It is vain to look for 

 the Geodephaga, or carnivorous beetles, under stones, or 

 anywhere, indeed, in open, sunny places. The terrestrial 

 forms of this interesting family, which abound in England 

 and temperate countries generally, are scarce in the 

 neighbourhood of Para, in fact, I met with only four or 

 five species ; on the other hand the purely arboreal kinds 

 were rather numerous. The contrary of this happens 

 in northern latitudes, where the great majority of the 

 species and genera are exclusively terrestrial. The ar- 

 boreal forms are distinguished by the structure of the 



