42 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
the ape would take them when offered, smell them, pull a wry 
face, roll them up in his hand, and drop them quietly in a few 
minutes ; further, when he placed one of these butterflies in 
the web of a species of Nephila, the spider would drop it out ; 
another species, that had apparently acquired the taste, 
appeared to eat such as became entangled in its web. 
Quite a number of spiders, both ground-runners and tree- 
dwellers, mimic different species of ants Not only do they 
closely resemble the latter in form and colour, but even in their 
manner of running about; and what is most extraordinary, the 
ant-like spider carries its first pair of legs in such a manner as 
to simulate the antenne of the particular Formicid insect in 
whose company it is found. Among our native species there 
are a number of spiders that mimic small tree-dwelling ants, 
and others certain Camponotide or Sugar Ants. Tull Walsh 
in his memoir, ‘“ Protective Resemblance in Spiders,” says: 
“T have noticed that the spiders are probably protected from 
birds and other enemies by their resemblance to ants, but there 
can be no doubt that frequently they also gain another very 
considerable advantage. Ihe auts with which these spiders 
most do congregate are fairly omnivorous feeders, but show a 
decided preference for sweet juices often to be found exuding 
from trees, fruit or flowers. To these juices come also flies, 
small beetles, and other insects which form the natural prey of 
the spiders, and which do not. under the circumstances, par- 
ticularly fear theants. Thus. whilethe flies are sucking up sweet- 
ness in company with the ants, the spider is, no doubt, able under 
its disguise to approach near enough to make a soring upon 
the unsuspecting victim, and to fix its sharp falces into its 
victim’s body. As regards the ants themselves, they do not 
seem to take any notice of the spiders, and do not 
apparently attack them.” Personally, I am convinced the ants 
have little to fear from the spiders; for, although I have 
watched closely on many occasions, I never yet saw an ant 
attacked by a spider that mimicked it. Indeed, the natural 
ferocity of ants, their hardness of body, and faculty of 
combining to withstand assault, would tend to show that 
spiders were more likely to be attacked by the ants than that 
the latter would be attacked by the spiders This view was 
held by Mr. Belt, who observed : “Ants, aud especially 
the stinging species, are, so far as my _ experience 
goes, not preyed upon by any other insects. No disguise need 
be adopted to approach them, as they are so bold that they 
are more likely to attack a spider than a spider them. ‘Their 
real use is, I doubt not, the protection the disguise affords 
against insectivorous birds I have found the crops of some 
humming birds full of soft-bodied spiders—and many other 
birds feed upon them—but I never saw any ants or ant-like 
