Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 2 (1898).djvu/454

422 some fifty of them were standing together with abdomen in air pouring forth a regular stream of silk in hopes of connecting with another tree. In one case a few threads caught on to a tree fully twelve feet away; the near ends were then promptly fastened down, and a Spider would advance cautiously along, strengthening the thread and hauling in the slack as she went, but in every case the thread broke. After many attempts to thus retreat further they gave it up, and went on with the work of making a new nest. The foundations of this were made by forming a dome-shaped canopy some eighteen inches in diameter over the top of the bush, the Spiders running backwards and forwards in all directions laying down the silk. I presume that eventually the edges of this canopy would be drawn together to form the outer shell of the nest, but unfortunately I was unable to remain longer to watch the process, and as I never found an opportunity to revisit the spot, I never learnt the sequel of this interesting chapter in the life-history of Stegodyphus.

In conclusion, I may mention that I have recently discovered a singular messmate of the Social Spiders. This is none other than one of the Micro-Lepidoptera! The larvæ in their frass-covered cases reside among the débris of dead insects, on which I presume they feed. I have not yet reared the imago, but hope to do so before long. In a nest I opened yesterday I found six empty pupa-cases, from which the moths had evidently emerged; how they managed to escape right from the heart of the nest seems little short of a marvel. Truly these venturesome insects pass their lives in the very jaws of death, and the struggle for existence must be keen indeed to compel them to resort to such an abode.