INCIDENTS OF SPIDER LIFE. 
9 
hearing — if spiders can hear. A fly comes buzzing about the 
window and the spider immediately hears, or perceives, and 
crawls forth from some hidden crevice. The fly blunders into 
first one corner and then another, appearing undisturbed unless 
some object in motion comes within its range of vision. In re¬ 
gard to this, Attus has inherited good judgment, acquired by 
his ancestors, through years of experience, and wisely waits 
motionless until the unwary fly has passed by near him, and 
then running from behind rapidly at first, but as he approaches 
nearer, flattening the body and creeping along with all the 
stealth of the cat family, pounces upon the back of the fly and 
binds the wings of his victim about the body so instantly that 
the eye cannot analyze the movements of the spring. 
People in general have a natural aversion to spiders, but no 
local spiders are dangerous, and are in no way to be feared, 
like the flies, which while from the very fact that they do great 
good as scavengers, are wont to hover about our food, and 
scatter the death dealing germs of disease which may lurk in 
the corrugations of the tongue and in the pulvilli with which 
the feet are clothed. 
Spiders have many interesting habits, which are worthy of 
of study. A pretty observation was made on the common 
grass spider, Agalena naevia, during last fall. An 
individual was captured and placed in confinement 
in a glass jar. The mother spider feeling a sense 
of contentment and seclusion, soon layed a flattened f f$ 
mass of delicate, flesh colored eggs. When this 
was accomplished, she spent the entire morning in 
shaping and kneading the eggs into a neat ball, by means of 
the two tiny straps which project from the end of the abdomen. 
Over this she spun a covering of whitest silk, and half con¬ 
cealed in the meshes, she prepared to hibernate and faithfully 
wttch over the dainty nest which she had arranged with so 
great care. 
