THE LADIES* MAGAZINE OF GARDENING. 
79 
another at the top opening out upon the web, at the mouth of which she 
sits to watch for prey, as is well described by the poet:—- 
“ ... gloomily retired 
The cruel spider lives, cunning and fierce 
. . amid a mangled heap 
Of carcases, in eager watch she sits, 
O’erlooking all her waving snares around: 
Near the dire cell the dreadless wanderer oft 
Passes, as oft the ruthless savage shows her front; 
The prey at last ensnared, she dreadful darts, 
With rapid glide.. 
And fixing in the wretch her cruel fangs, 
Strikes backward grimly pleased.”— . . Thomson’s Summer. 
It is in this way the barn spider gains a livelihood, trusting more to 
her valour and strength than to her art in weaving snares for the entangle¬ 
ment of her prey. At certain stages of her life she casts her skin entire, 
retreating backwards out of it, and leaving the slough of all the parts 
hanging to the edge of the web. We know not whether this happens 
more than once to the same individual, nor whether all the species cast 
their skins, as several insects and some of the reptiles do; but this always 
happens to the barn spider, and probably to all those which live longer 
than one summer. The webs, both in size and texture, always correspond 
with the size of the owner: the extent of their span seems to be the 
regulating circumstance. 
There are two other small, yellow-coloured spiders, which make their 
abode on the outside of buildings, and on ivy-covered trunks of trees. 
These are curious, but irregular weavers, and belong to that section which 
is ephemeral: they only appear at the end of summer, and soon totally 
vanish, after they have laid their eggs for the following year. 
There are several species which live in holes in the ground : as soon as 
they have found one that suits their purpose as to depth and capacity, 
they line it neatly all round, leaving a hole, and sometimes two, at the top, 
for egress and ingress. Around these openings they spread a web on the 
surface, extending a good way on each side; and as it is attached to the 
mouth of the lining of the cell, vibrations from any living thing traversing 
the web are quickly felt by the watchful mistress of the snare, who rushes 
out to seize the invader, and drags the culprit into her den. 
The Tarantula spider, of which so much has been written in ancient 
history, is a ground species, and very common in Spain, where it is not 
considered at all a dangerous insect. The hideous appearance of the 
generality of the tribe has gained for the whole a bad name, but without 
good reason. 
