A R A N E A. 
worm; 663,552 of them would fearcely yield a pound. 
The act of generation among fpiders varies in different 
fpecies. As thefe infects prey upon each other except 
during the time of Uieir amours, they dare not come with¬ 
in reach of one another but with the utmoff caution. They 
may fometimes be feen ftretching out their legs, fhaking 
the web, and tampering with each other by a flight touch 
with the extremity of their feet ; then, in a fright, drop¬ 
ping huffily down their thread, and returning in a few mo¬ 
ments to make frefli trial by feeling. When once both 
parties are well allured of the fex they haf’e to deal with, 
the approaches of their feet, in order to feel, become more 
frequent, confidence takes place, and the inffant of amo¬ 
rous dalliance enfues. “ We cannot,” fays Lyonnet, 
“ but admire how careful they are not to give themfelves 
tip blindly to a paffion, or venture on an imprudent ffep, 
which might become fatal to themd’ A caveat this to the 
human kind. Lifter and Lyonnet, two accurate obfervers, 
fay, that the extremity of thofe arms, or claws, which the 
fpidcr ufes to grafp his prey with, l'uddenly opens, as it 
were by a fpring, and lets out a white body, which the 
male applies beneath the abdomen of the female, to fulfil 
the will) of nature. In the water-fpidcr, the fexual or¬ 
gans are lituated at the hinder parts of the male, are curve, 
and add as it were by a fpring; thofe of the females are 
diffindd. Nature, by a thoufand varied methods, accom¬ 
plices her purpofe. 
Spiders frequently change their colour, which varies 
much, in refpedt to feafon, lex, age, &c. but they are in 
general more beautifully variegated in autumn ; a feafon 
not only the moll opportune and plentiful refpecting their 
prey, but the time when they arrive at their greateff mag¬ 
nitude, and are in their height of vigour. The natural 
longevity of the fpider is greater than feems to have been 
* granted to the generality of the infedf tribes. The length 
of his life is not exaddly afcertained ; but it probably en¬ 
dures for feveral years. The female, it is faid, does not 
begin to lay her eggs till fhe has completed her fecond 
year; and even then, her brood is not fo numerous as 
when (he has attained her full maturity. When that pe¬ 
riod arrives, fhe has been known to produce near a thou¬ 
fand eggs in a lingle feafon. The fpecies of aranea enu¬ 
merated by naturalifts amount to upwards of fifty ; of 
which it may here l'uffice to mention a few of the moft 
remarkable. 
The fafciata, with yellow bands round the belly, and 
dufkifh hairy jointed legs, is a native of Barbary, and is 
as large as the thumb. It inhabits hedges and thickets : 
its webs have large mefhes, and it refides in the centre up¬ 
on its neft. The fnares are l'pread for large flies, vvafps, 
drones, and even locuffs ; fmaller infefts can efcape thro’ 
the mefhes. The animal which it entangles is foon bound 
with ftrong threads ; killed by the fpider’s jaws ; and part¬ 
ly eaten, if the fpider is hungry: the reff is concealed un¬ 
der fome neighbouring dry leaves, covered, with a kind of 
web, and a blacki/h glut in great abundance. Its larder 
is faid to be often plentifully ffored. Its neff is about the (ize 
of a pullet’s egg, divided horizontally, and lufpended by 
the threads of the infect, which are of a filvery white, and 
flronger than (ilk. It carries its eggs in a little bag under 
its belly, from which the young ones come out, and for a 
time in the fame web live in amity; but, when grownup, 
are mortal enemies. They never meet but they fight with 
violence, and their battle only ends w ith the death of the 
weakeff. The dead body is carefully ffored in the larder. 
Twelve of thefe fpiders, by way of experiment, were (hut 
up together; and, after a battle of eight days, the ffrongelt 
only remained alive. 
The annexed Piate exhibits this fpid6r on its neff, in 
the centre of its web, feaftiiig on its prey, from a very 
exadl and curious drawing. 
The calycina, or fpider with a round pale yellow belly, 
and two hollow points. It lives in the cups of flowers, 
after the flower-leaves have fallen.off'; and catches bees, 
aud other flies, when they are in fearch of honey. 
The ocellata, has three pair of eyes on its thighs. It is 
about the fame fize with the tarantula, of a pale colour, 
with a black ring round the belly, and has two large bl'ack 
fpots on the Tides of the bread. It is a native of China. 
The faccata, has an oval belly, of a dufky iron colour. 
It 1 ives in the ground, and carries a fack with its eggs 
wherever it goes. This fack it glues to its belly, and will 
rather die than leave it behind. 
The diadema, is the largeff fpider which England pro¬ 
duces. The abdomen is of an oval form, downy, and of 
a ruddy yellow colour, which is very variable in different 
feafons; being fometimes paler, at others very dark co¬ 
loured. The upper part is beautifully adorned with black 
and white circles and dots, having a longitudinal band in 
the middle, compofed of oblong and oval-Thapcd pearl- 
coloured fpots, fo arranged as to refcmble a fillet, fimilar 
to thofe worn by the eaffern kings. The ground upon 
which' this fillet and the white dots are laid, when viewed 
with a glafs, and the fun filming thereon, is beautiful and 
rich beyond all defeription. There are varieties in colour 
of this fpider when young ; fome have their abdomen pur¬ 
ple, ornamented with white dots, the legs yellow and an- 
nulated with a deeper colour; others have their abdomen 
of a fine red likewiie ornamented with white, and the legs 
of a fine pale green colour ; annulated with dark purple 
or black. It inhabits the birch-tree. 
The cucurbitina, has a globular yellow belly, with a 
few black fpots. It lives in the leaves of trees, and in- 
clofes its eggs in a fot't net. 
The labyrinthica, or fpider with a dufky oval belly, a 
whitifh indented line, and a forked anus. The web of 
this fpecies is horizontal, with a cylindrical well or tube 
in the middle. 
The fimbriata, has a black oblong belly, with a white 
line on each fide, and dufky-coloured legs. It lives in wa¬ 
ter, upon the furface of which it runs with great fwiftnefs. 
The holofericea, has an oval belly covered with a down 
like velvet; at the bafe, or under part, it has two yellow 
fpots. It is found in the folded leaves of plants. 
The viatica, or wandering fpider, is generally of a yel¬ 
low colour, more or lefs deep. Sometimes it is whitifh, 
and even rather green. The abdomen is large, broad, 
almoft fquare, with tw o bands of dark orange, which ari- 
fing from the thorax defeend obliquely on the Tides towards 
the middle. Between the bands are a few fmall black 
dots, forming a kind of triangle upon the middle of the 
abdomen. On the thorax are leen two longitudinal bands 
fomewhat green, one on each fide. The two foremoff pair 
of legs are very long, and the hinder fliort, which makes 
it walk Tideways like a crab. It is found upon plants, and 
is a lively, aclive, indefatigable, hunter. Without any mo¬ 
tion of the head, which is furnifhed with immoveable eyes, 
it perceives all the flies that hover round about, does not 
fcare them, but ff retches over them its arms furniffied with 
feathers, which prove nets in which their wings intangle. 
It is (aid to fit on its eggs, which however it often carries 
about with it, wrapped up in a ball of white (ilk. 
The aquatica, or water-fpider, is of a livid colour, with 
an oval belly, and a tranfverfe line with two hollowed 
points. It frequents the frefli waters of Europe. But it 
is in fome fort amphibious: for it can live on land as well 
as in the water, and comes often on (hore for its food ; 
yet it (wims well in'water, both on its belly and back : it 
is diftinguiffiable by its brightnefs. In the water its belly 
appears covered with a filver varniffi, which is only a bub¬ 
ble of air attached to the abdomen by means of the oily 
humours which tranfpire from its body, and prevent the 
immediate contaft of the water. This bubble of air is 
made the fubftance of its dwelling, which it conffruCls 
under water; for it fixes feveral threads of filk, or fuch 
fine matter, to the ffalks of plants in the w’ater; and then, 
afeending to the furface, thrufts the hinder part of its bo¬ 
dy above water, drawing it back again with inch rapidity, 
that it attaches underneath a bubble of air, which it has 
