MR.  W.  S.  MACLEAY  ON  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  MYGALE. 
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matical  regularity  of  which  may  compete  with  that  of  the  ancient  Spiders  described  by 
iElian  as  EvK'XeiSov  Seovrat  owSev.  Now  it  is  certainly  possible  that  the  net  of  this  Ne- 
phila  should,  in  accord  with  Labat's  account,  accidentally  arrest  such  small  birds  as  are 
several  species  of  Trochilidcs^  ;  but  I  do  not  believe  that  the  Spider  would  touch  them. 
My  garden,  I  repeat,  is  full  of  these  Nephilce  in  autumn,  and  I  have  tried  to  regale  one 
of  them  with  a  small  species  of  Sphceriodactylus^ ,  by  putting  it  into  her  net.  The 
Spider,  on  feeling  the  threads  vibrate  with  the  struggles  of  the  Lizard,  instantly  ap- 
proached and  enveloped  it  in  her  web.  As  soon,  however,  as  it  was  thus  disabled,  my 
Nephila  seemed  to  become  aware  of  her  mistake,  and  losing  no  time  in  cutting  the 
lines,  allowed  her  prisoner  to  fall  to  the  ground. 
Thus,  then,  have  I  proved  that  the  Mygale  avicularia  does  not  catch  birds,  any  more 
than  another  Spider,  celebrated  in  one  of  our  philosophical  journals  a  few  years  back, 
could  ever  have  lived  on  arsenic  or  corrosive  sublimate  ;  I  forget,  indeed,  what  mineral 
was  most  easy  of  digestion :  and  although  undoubtedly  there  be  more  things  on  earth 
than  are  dreamt  of  by  our  philosophy,  I  will  even  go  so  far  as  to  add  my  utter  dis- 
belief in  the  existence  of  any  hird-catching  Spider.  I  am  fully  sensible  that  such  a 
vermin,  so  interestingly  disgusting,  forms  a  treasure  too  valuable  in  the  eyes  of  mere 
adepts  in  the  free  use  of  scissors  and  paste,  for  me  to  be  able  to  dislodge  it  from  their 
affections,  Avhen  LangsdorfF  had  already  failed  to  break  the  charm  ;  but  however  popu- 
larly pretty  it  may  be  thus  occasionally  to  wander  off  into  "  fancy's  maze,"  the  dull, 
dry,  and  unromantic  naturalist  must  positively  stick  to  the  stubborn  truth. 
'  Particularly  Orthorhynchus  minimus,  a  species,  by  the  way,  that  I  have  never  seen  in  the  Island  of  Cuba, 
although  I  believe  it  occurs  in  Jamaica.  The  only  two  species  of  Humming-bird  I  have  seen  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Havana,  are  the  Trochilus  pectoralis  and  Troch.  Coluhris  of  Dr.  Latham,  now,  I  believe,  assigned  to  di- 
stinct genera.  The  former  remains  all  the  year  round,  while  the  latter  appears  only  in  winter.  Both  are  strong 
enough  to  burst  three  such  nets  as  those  of  Nephila  clavipes,  and  in  fact  Trochilus  pectoralis  may  be  seen  at 
times  to  peck  small  flies  out  of  them. 
*  This  Lizard  clearly  belongs  to  the  family  Geckotida  of  Mr.  Gray ;  and  as  it  has  the  tail  round,  the  toes  5 — 5, 
free,  and  dilated  at  their  extremity,  with  the  nail  placed  in  a  groove,  I  have  little  hesitation  in  referring  it  to  the 
genus  Sphariodactylus  of  Cuvier.  ITiere  are  two  or  three  species  very  common  in  Cuba  in  houses,  where  they 
occur  among  books,  or  wherever  they  can  find  shelter.  They  have  bright  eyes,  are  pretty,  and  very  harmless, 
and  come  out  of  their  comers  in  rainy  weather,  declaring  war  against  everything  in  the  shape  of  a  Fly  or  Mus- 
quitoe.    The  following  are  the  descriptions  of  the  most  common. 
1 .  Sphariodactylus  cinereus.  Sphser.  cauda  corporis  longitudine,  totus  cinereus,  translucidus  capite  flaviori ; 
apice  roseo,  squamis  dorsalibus  punctis  minutissimis  nigris  aspersis. 
Long.  tot.  24  unc. 
N.B.  This  may  possibly  be  the  Small  House-lizard  of  Browne's  Jamaica. 
2.  Sph<Briodactylus  elegans.  Sphser.  fasciis  dorsalibus  transversis  nigris  14,  capite  coeruleo-cinereo  subtiis 
nigro-fasciato,  dorso  subviridi,  cauda  rubra  corpore  breviori,  ventre  cinereo. 
Long.  tot.  H  unc. 
N.B.  There  are  nine  of  the  black  bands  between  the  eyes  and  the  tail,  which  near  the  root  has  three,  but 
towards  the  tip  has  none,  and  is  of  a  subtranslucid  red  colour., 
