The Spider' and the Fish. 
S.A. NAT , VOL. XVI. 
July 24, 1935. 
33. 
observation showed that the creature had caught a fish. She' 
had fastened upon it with a deadly grip just on the forward side 
of the ’dorsal fin and the poor fish was swimming round and 
round slowly, or twisting its body as if in pain. The head of 
its black enemy was sometimes pulled under water, but the 
strength of the fish would not permit an entire submersion. It 
moved its fins as if exhausted and often rested. Finally it swam 
under a floating leaf near the shore and made a vain effort to dis- 
lodge the spider by scraping against the underside of the leaf. 
The two had now closely approached the bank. Suddenly 
the long black legs of the spider emerged from the water and 
the hinder ones reached out and fastened upon the irregularities 
of the side of the ditch. The spider commenced tugging at its 
prize in order to land it. The observer ran to the nearest house 
for a wide-mouthed bottle, leaving his friend to watch the strug- 
gle. During the interval of six or eight minutes’ absence, the 
spider had drawn the fish entirely out of the water; then both 
creatures had fallen in again, the bank being nearly perpendicu- 
lar. There followed a great struggle, and on Mr. Spring’s re- 
turn the fish was already hoisted head first more than half its 
length out upon the land. It was very much exhausted, hardly 
making any movement and was being slowly and steadily drawn 
up by the spider, who had evidently gained the victory. She 
had not once quit her hold during the period of a quarter to 
half an hour of observation. Her head was directed towards 
the fish’s tail; she stepped backwards up an elevation of forty- 
five degrees, drawing her captive with her.” 
“The spider referred to may have been an example of 
Lycos a lent a or L‘ fatifera, or more probably Dolomedes tene- 
brosus , all of which grow to great size along streams of water.” 
The other instance was recorded by Mr. F. R. Welsh, of 
Philadelphia, who wrote that “a spider once killed two sunfish, 
each about two inches long, that he had in a b^sin in his room. 
After having attacked the first fish it ran over the water and 
fastened upon the second, which was also at the time, apparent- 
ly well and vigorous. Mr. Welsh drove the spider off, but the 
fishes died in a few hours. Mr. Welsh could not identify the 
spider, and could describe it only in a general way; but judging 
from the figures in my books he supposed it might have been, 
either a Dolomedes or Agaleiia naevia ” 
H. M. H. 
