PREFACE.
Reading edition
The object of this book is to give a plain account of the best known habits of spiders, and as much of their anatomy and classification as is necessary to understand these habits. The portion on the spinning and flying habits is copied chiefly from Blackwall and Menge; that on the trap-door spiders from Moggridge; and the habits of Nephila and Hyptiotes, from Wilder. The observations of these authors have been repeated as far as possible, and some changes and additions made to their accounts of them. The numerous stories of deadly poison, supernatural wisdom, and enormous size and strength of spiders, have been omitted as doubtful. Several cuts from the papers of Professor Wilder have been repeated by favor of the author and publishers. Most of the figures are, however, new, and engraved by photography from my own drawings.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
Anatomy and Classification.—External Parts of a Spider.—Feet. —Palpi and Maxillæ.—Mandibles.—Breathing-Holes.—Epigynum. —Spinnerets.—Eyes.—Colors and Markings.—Internal Organs.— Intestine.—Heart.—Breathing-Organs.—Nervous System.— Poison Glands.—Families of Spiders 11
CHAPTER II.
Eating and Biting.—Structure of the Mandibles.—Mouth.—Eating Insects.—Biting.—Experiments on Poison of Spiders. —Tame Spiders 32
CHAPTER III.
Spinning-Habits.—Spinnerets.—Spinning-Glands.—Beginning of a Thread.—Holes and Nests.—Burrows of Lycosa.—Trap-door Nests.—Tubes and Nests of Drassidæ.—Webs of Agalena.—Webs of Linyphia and Theridion.—Spiders living in Webs made by Others.—Round Webs.—Epeira Vulgaris.—Zilla.—Nephila.— Habits in the Web.—Curled Webs.—Cribellum and Calamistrum. —Webs of Amaurobius.—Regular Webs of Dictyna.—Triangle Web.—Round Webs with Curled Thread 38
CHAPTER IV.
Growth of Spiders.—Differences between Male and Female.— Differences between Old and Young.—Male and Female of Nephila and Argiope.—Heads of Male Erigone.—Palpal Organs.—Epigynum. —Use of Palpal Organs and Epigynum in Various Spiders.—Laying Eggs.—Cocoons of Drassus, Attus, and Epeira.—Cocoons of Argyrodes and Argiope.—Care of the Cocoon.—Parasites.—Growth in the Egg.—Hatching.—Habits of Young Spiders.—Moulting. —Habitats of Spiders.—Distribution of Spiders 86
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
1. Under Side of Epeira Vulgaris 13
2. Foot of Epeira Vulgaris 14
3. Foot of Attus Mystaceus 15
4. Upper Side of Epeira Vulgaris 18
5. Section of Epeira Vulgaris 20
6. Mygale Hentzii 24
7. Dysdera Interrita and Eyes 26
8. Drassus 26
9. Agalena Nævia 27
10. Lycosa and Eyes 28
11. Salticus and Eyes 29
12. Thomisus and Eyes 30
13. Theridion 31
14. Mandibles of Epeira Vulgaris. Front View 33
15. Claw of Mandible 33
16. Spinnerets of Epeira Vulgaris 39
17. Single Spinning Tube 40
18. Spinning-Glands 40
19. Spinneret of Prosthesima 41
20. Spinneret of Agalena with some of the hairs removed 41
21. End of Thread 42
22. Trap-door Nests. Copied from Moggridge 47
23. Nest of Dolomedes 52
24. Web of Agalena 55
25. Web of Linyphia Marmorata 57
26. Web of Linyphia Communis 59
27. Pholcus swinging 61
28. Round Web of Epeira Vulgaris 62
29. Web of Zilla 65
30. Web of Nephila Plumipes. From Wilder 66
31. Part of Web of Nephila, to show the smooth threads. From Wilder 67
32. Epeira Spinea 69
33. Spinnerets of Amaurobius 72
34. Calamistrum of Amaurobius 73
35. Dictyna spinning Curled Web 73
36. Part of Web of Amaurobius 74
37. Part of Web of Dictyna, showing regular arrangement of threads 75
38. Unfinished Web of Triangle Spider. From Wilder 76
39. Finished Web of Triangle Spider, and Spider holding the Web.
From Wilder 78
40. Young Lycosa flying 81
41. Flying Spider with a Thread attached to the Ground 84
42. Large Attus flying by a Brush of Threads 85
43. Male and Female Nephila Plumipes. From Wilder,
in Proceedings Boston Society Natural History 78
44,45. Heads of Males of Several Species of Erigone 88, 89
46. Palpal Organ of Mygale 89
47. Palpal Organ of Epeira 90
48. Palpal Organ of Theridion 91
49. Epigynum of Epeira Riparia 92
50. Epigynum of Theridion 93
51. Epigynum of Theridion 94
52. Copulation of Lycosa 95
53. Copulation of Linyphia 96
54. Copulation of Agalena 96
55. Copulation of Epeira Riparia 97
56. Drassus laying Eggs 99
57. Lycosa carrying Cocoon attached to her Spinnerets 100
58. Attus Mystaceus laying Eggs 101
59. Epeira Strix making Cocoon 101
60. Epeira Strix laying Eggs 102
61. Cocoon of Argyrodes hanging by a Stem 103
62. Cocoon of Epeira Riparia. From Wilder 103
63. Eggs during Segmentation 106
64. Eggs further Advanced 108
65. Young Epeira Riparia after First Moult 109
66. Moulting of Nephila Plumipes. From Wilder
in Proceedings American Association 111
67. Nephila Plumipes just after Moulting. From Wilder 111
THE STRUCTURE AND HABITS OF SPIDERS.