NATURE NOTES. 
1 66 
hardly draw blood, except on a very tender skin. One sunny 
afternoon (but every afternoon is sunny in Tasmania) we came 
across one of these agile lizards perched on the top of a “ blue- 
jumper’s ” nest, %Vhich is a mound formed by a dark-blue ant of 
large size, this insect being capable of biting and stinging 
severely. It has derived its name of “ jumper ” from the tactics 
adopted by the soldier-ants, which are on duty outside the nest ; 
these fearless insects, on the approach of danger, make a series 
of short rapid jumps at the enemy, and if the latter be a human 
being his wisest course is to “clear” without delay. The blood- 
sucker, however, which was a big bloated one, seemed to relish 
the society of the warlike ones, for he lay at his ease on the top 
of the mound, and every time a sentinel on his beat passed 
within reach, out would shoot the long tongue and the soldier in 
a twinkling had gone to his doom. After this game had gone 
on some time, and the soldiers on duty began to look sparse, we 
stirred up the nest with a stick, thinking a reinforcement might 
be acceptable to our voracious friend ; but directly he felt the 
jumpers swarming upon his body he seemed to realise that 
matters were getting too hot for him, and taking a dive into the 
scrub, disappeared. 
Spiders, of many shapes and sizes, positively swarm upon 
our plains. The monarch of them is huge, black and hairy, and 
of extremely ferocious aspect. He is related to the great bird- 
eating spiders of tropical countries, and himself, to judge by his 
proportions, lives upon no mean prey. Where the ground is 
damp and not likely to crumble in, he excavates a dwelling with 
beautifully smooth walls, and to keep everything within snug 
and private, covers the entrance with a dome of thick close web. 
From this retreat it is difficult to dislodge the sable monster, but 
artifice will accomplish what force cannot. If a piece of stick 
be pushed gently into the opening and worked downwards, and 
then withdrawn, the angry tenant will rush up after it, with the 
evident wish of seeing it safely out of his abode. A walking- 
stick can then be inserted behind him so as to block the burrow 
and make retreat impossible, and lo ! he is at our mercy and can 
be studied at leisure. The burrow takes a sloping direction at 
first and then falls perpendicularly, and is of considerable depth. 
We have another spider on the plains, a dark-coloured, 
bloated looking creature, w'hich throws a strong cable from one 
bush to another, and hangs a web under the cable. Another, 
and much smaller species, spins a very beautiful and complex 
web near the ground, and lives in the centre of it, in a case 
made of little odd bits of stuff 'woven together. This web, when 
viewed from above, has the appearance of a multitude of little 
squares, and when covered with beads of moisture the effect is 
very striking. 
Aquatic life, too, there is on the plains, had we but the space 
to describe it. In the marshy patches at the foot of the slopes 
lives the noisy bull-frog, with his sonorous and far-reaching 
