HARVEST SPIDERS. 
238 
both having been observed under the bark of trees, far from the abodes of men. 
In South America it is by no means uncommon to find species of Chelifer living 
beneath the elytra of the large longicorn beetles. Some species frequent caves and 
grottoes, and many of these, from dwelling permanently in the dark, have lost all 
trace of eyes. Lastly, there are others which occur exclusively upon the seashore. 
Garypus littoralis, for instance—the giant of the order, so far as Europe is concerned 
-—being found in Spain and Corsica at the foot of the cliffs and beneath seaweed, 
while, on the south coast of England Obisium maritimum may be met with under 
the same conditions. The Cheliferidce are, for the most part, slow in their move¬ 
ments, walking with the pincers extended to feel the way, although they also 
progress with facility sideways or backwards. The Obisiidoe, on the contrary, are 
much more agile, darting backwards with great speed when alarmed. Some 
species of the genus Chithonius, indeed, are said to possess leaping powers of no 
mean order. 
Although possessing silk-glands, the false scorpions have not learnt the art of 
ensnaring prey after the manner of spiders. They merely use the silk for con¬ 
structing a small oval or spherical protective cell at the time of egg-laying, or for 
purposes of hibernation, or moulting. A species of Chelifer has been observed to 
build a cell, in the first instance, when preparing to moult, and in this receptacle it 
stayed for five days, until the new integument had acquired its normal strength. 
But about three months afterwards it returned to the same quarters to spend the 
winter. As a rule these cells, or cocoons, are left uncovered, attached to the under 
sides of stones, etc., but the Alpine Obisium jugorum covers its case with pieces 
of earth and of vegetable debris. Like the majority of the class, false scorpions 
are oviparous; the number of eggs rarely exceeding fifty, although these are of 
relatively large size. By means of a gummy material, the eggs stick together into 
a rounded or oval mass, which remains adhering to the ventral surface of the 
abdomen of the female. The young stay with their parent until they have 
acquired their definite form, but, when first hatched, show no signs of segmenta¬ 
tion, either of the body or limbs, and the abdomen, which is folded against the 
lower surface of the cephalothorax, bears rudiments of four pairs of appendages, 
which subsequently disappear. The only fossil remains of the group hitherto 
discovered occur in the Tertiary amber beds of the Baltic; the species being 
apparently generically identical with those existing at the present time. 
The Harvest Spiders, —Order Opiliones. 
Although the members of this group are frequently confounded with the true 
spiders, yet, as in the case of the scorpions and false scorpions, the resemblances 
between the harvest spiders and the true spiders are comparatively few and 
superficial, while the distinctive characters are many and deep-seated. In the first 
place, the body is oval, and the abdomen, which is united throughout its length 
with the cephalothorax, is, as in the scorpions and false scorpions, composed of from 
three to eight segments. The carapace which is short, unjointed, and usually bears 
one pair of eyes, is sometimes fused with the anterior segments of the abdomen; 
while in some cases the dorsal plates of all the abdominal segments are united to 
