74 



Armitt : Ohservaiions on Spiders at Rydal. 



colour was assimilated to the objects about, but it was sing-ular 

 to find tliat in the green mass of flowerless day-lilies it assumed 

 its brightest and most jewel-like aspect of patterned scarlet. 

 Perhaps, as it could not become green (like Araneus ciicuhitaniis , 

 that is as green as the lilac-bush of the garden it inhabits), it 

 found a sparkling effect, as of broken sunlight, the best to 

 produce. But if green is beyond the colour range of our Metu, 

 white is not, for I have found a specimen living in a Japanese 

 anemone-flower quite white in ground colour, below the pattern. 

 Possibly the white spider we found some years ago living in a 

 Grass-of-Parnassus flower of the fell-swamp was of this species 

 also. In this case its pattern was just like the stamens of the 

 flower, from which it was absolutely indistinguishable when at 

 rest. In a case of this sort, it is interesting to consider how 

 long a time is required for such assimilation of colour. The 

 botanist says that the Grass-of-Parnassus requires from 15 to 20 

 days to go through its evolutions before its petals drop ; the 

 autumn anemone takes probably (having not so elaborate a 

 system of stamen-extension) a much shorter time. Does the 

 spider become white for a single flower, changing its colour 

 when the petals drop ; or does it, when this happens, seek by 

 intention another bloom, and so extend its white existence with 

 the whole season of the flower? 



Even the Zilla, that lives in a hood, tones itself to its 

 surroundings. Black-grey upon the rocks, with a white pattern 

 that is like a lichen-stain, it assumes a red-brown tone up on my 

 window-frame when this has been freshly painted. And this 

 I imagine it does (though am not certain), in two or three days. 

 Again, while Araneus cuciihitanus is pea-green among its 

 leaves, A. cornutiis, when living on the bulrush flowers of the 

 lake, is almost exactly like these. It has but, when disturbed 

 from the hood or tube in which it lives, to crawl upon the 

 bundle of brown, rounded flowers and draw up its legs, to be 

 practically invisible; for its pattern is like the flecks of light upon 

 the bundle. This fine, water-loving species is abundant on the 

 lake-grasses of Windermere (male and female together late 

 July) ; and multitudes of young ones may be found weaving 

 their exquisite silken retreats on the rushes and gorse of Enner- 

 dale shore in September, but so far I have not come across it on 

 Rydal Water. 



The most distinguished orb-weaver of the garden, however, 

 is Tetragnatha extensa. For the presence of this species, a 

 water-lover, too, we are probably indebted to the river Rothay, 



Naturalist, 



