Chapter VI: Part 6

$Cyclosa conica$ or $caudata.$--This spider may be known by the blunt conical hump at the hinder end of the abdomen, extending upward and backward over the spinnerets (figs. 428, 429). Full-grown females are about quarter of an inch long. The color is a mixture of gray and white, different individuals varying from almost white to almost black. The cephalothorax is longer than wide, the front part narrow, and the top of the front of the head extended forward beyond the base of the mandibles. The hump on the abdomen varies considerably in size, and is generally about half as long as the rest of the abdomen and slopes gradually into it. In light individuals the markings of the abdomen are obscure, but usually there is a distinct dark middle stripe, widest near the base of the hump. The under side is black, with a pair of very distinct light spots across the middle. The cephalothorax is dark gray or black without stripes, sometimes a little lighter around the eyes. The legs are white, with dark rings at the end of each joint and in the middle of each except the femora. On the first and second femora the dark rings are very wide, covering sometimes more than half the joint. The males have the cephalothorax darker and narrower in front, and the abdomen smaller, with only a slight hump. The spider seems to live all the time in the web. The inner spiral is large and widens gradually from the center outward. There is usually a line of silk across the web, in which are fastened parts of dead insects and other rubbish and, in the middle of the summer, the cocoons of eggs. The spider, standing in the middle of this band where it crosses the center of the web, looks like part of the rubbish. When an old web is torn down this band of rubbish is left in place, and the new web made across it. A peculiarity of the web of this spider is that the inner spiral has one, and sometimes two, loops in it, making it wider than it is high (fig. 430).

THE THREE SPECIES OF THE GENUS ZILLA

We have three species of Zilla, the females of which are so much alike that it is almost impossible to tell them apart. The males also resemble each other closely except in their palpi, which are distinctly different in the different species. They are of moderate size, the largest about three-eighths of an inch long, and in general appearance resemble the genus Steatoda of the Therididæ (p. 119). The abdomen is large and oval and a little flattened. The legs are slender and of moderate length, like those of Epeira. The head is rounded in front, and the lateral eyes are not separated farther from the middle pairs than they are from each other. The mandibles are large and thickened in the middle toward the front. The epigynum and the spinnerets are both small. The color of all the species is gray, with sometimes a little yellow or pink in the lighter parts. The cephalothorax has usually, but not always, a dark border at the sides and a middle dark line that widens and becomes lighter toward the eyes. The abdomen has a wide middle stripe like Epeira, scalloped at the sides and crossed at the hinder end by two or three pairs of transverse spots. In front it is almost white or tinted with pink or yellow, and narrows almost to a point, with a much darker spot each side. The sides of the abdomen are marked with oblique dark marks that extend underneath. The sternum has a light middle stripe. Under the abdomen is a dark middle stripe, with light each side of it. The legs are pale, with narrow gray rings at the end and middle of each joint. These three species seem to be the same as three found in Europe,--_Z. atrica_, _Z. x-notata_, and _Z. montana_. _Atrica_ is found at Ipswich and Salem on the coast of Massachusetts, _x-notata_ at Woods Hole on the south coast of Massachusetts, and _montana_ in the White Mountains and Adirondacks. Wherever found they are in large numbers, _atrica_ and _x-notata_ living on the outside of houses, and _montana_ in trees and rocks. The webs of Zilla (fig. 432) have a segment left without cross threads, sometimes for its whole length, and sometimes only the part of it nearest the center. Opposite this open segment a thread leads from the center of the web to the nest (fig. 433), which is a tube of silk open at both ends.

The differences between the palpi of the males are very plain. In _atrica_ the palpi (fig. 434) are as long as the whole body, with the femur and tibia both slightly curved and the tarsus and palpal organ small and like that of _x-notata_. In _x-notata_ (fig. 435) the palpus is as long as the cephalothorax, and the tarsus and palpal organ small and round. The front legs are a fourth longer than in _atrica_. In _montana_ (fig. 435_a_) the palpus is still shorter, the tibia thicker, and the tarsus and palpal organ larger. There is little difference in the shape of the epigynum of the different species, but that of _montana_ is twice as large as that of _x-notata_ or _atrica_.

$Singa pratensis.$--The Singas are small Epeiridæ a sixth or fifth of an inch long, with smooth bodies and bright colors. They live among grass and other small plants in low open ground. When full grown the females of _S. pratensis_ are a fifth of an inch long, with the abdomen oval and marked with a double white stripe in the middle and a single one on each side. The cephalothorax is yellow, with a little black between the middle eyes not extending to the lateral pairs. The legs are yellow, without rings or other markings. The abdomen is yellow brown, darker toward the hinder end, with white or light yellow stripes. The under side is the same yellow-brown color, darker in the middle, with two narrow, curved, light lines from the spiracles to the spinnerets. The males are marked in the same way and have a smaller abdomen and longer spines on the legs.

$Singa variabilis.$--This is a little smaller than _pratensis_, usually about a sixth of an inch long. The legs and cephalothorax are bright orange color. The front of the head between the eyes is black. The abdomen is usually entirely black, but occasionally has bright yellow markings (fig. 436) arranged somewhat as in _pratensis_. Sometimes there is a wide middle stripe, with narrower ones at the sides and two underneath. Sometimes there are only the two lateral stripes, and there are all variations between these markings. The males are colored in the same way and have the same varieties. They are smaller than the males of _pratensis_, but have the palpal organs as large or larger.

THE GENUS ACROSOMA

These are small spiders, with the abdomen extended back half its length beyond the spinnerets, brightly colored, flattened above, and furnished with several pairs of pointed processes. The cephalothorax is longer than in Epeira and Argiope and widest in the middle. The legs are slender and have only fine and soft hairs. The webs (fig. 437) are inclined and have a hole in the middle surrounded by several turns of smooth thread; when hanging in it the spiders look like burrs or seeds. At a slight alarm they will sometimes drop to the ground and hide under the nearest shelter.

$Acrosoma mitrata.$--This is a smaller species than _rugosa_ or _spinea_. The abdomen does not extend as far backward as in the other species, but comes farther forward so as to cover half the cephalothorax (fig. 438). The abdomen is truncated behind, with two pairs of pointed processes at the corners, one pair below the other. In front, the abdomen is a little narrowed over the thorax. The legs and cephalothorax are brown, as in the other species. The abdomen is light yellow, darker behind, with two or three pairs of black spots along the middle and five or six dark elongated spots along the sides. The under side is black mixed with yellow spots, as in the other species. Common as far north as Connecticut.

$Acrosoma rugosa.$--This has five pairs of spines on the abdomen, three pairs in the same places as those of _spinea_ and the other two pairs behind and under the last of the three. All the humps and spines are about the same size. The cephalothorax and legs resemble those of _spinea_, but the legs are shorter. The colors are white, yellow, and brown in spots and marks like those of _spinea_, some individuals being almost white, and others as nearly black. The males have a long slender abdomen without humps or spines. This is a common spider as far north as Connecticut, where it is occasionally found.

$Acrosoma spinea.$--This spider is distinguished from all the common species by the shape of its abdomen, which is narrow in front and has two long spreading points behind (fig. 440). There is a pair of smaller spines on the front of the abdomen and another near the middle of each side. The middle of the abdomen is white or bright yellow. The spines are black at the points and bright red at the base. There are several black spots on the back, and gray marks at the sides. The under side of the abdomen is darker than it is above and marked with black and yellow spots. The cephalothorax and legs are light brown, the thorax with lighter edges. The young have the abdomen longer, with the posterior spines short and blunt. The third and fourth legs are whitish, with dark longitudinal stripes. The males are smaller than the females and resemble the young. The abdomen is a little widened behind and has in place of the spines three pairs of low bumps. The front legs are dark, and the hinder legs light, as in the young. The web (fig. 437) has a hole in the middle, across which the spider hangs.

$Meta menardi.$--This spider lives in caves and similar cool and shady places in various parts of this country and also in Europe. In general appearance, especially when young, it reminds one of Linyphia. The abdomen is longer than wide, high in front, and tapering a little behind (fig. 445). The eyes are near together, the lateral eyes almost as near the middle pairs as they are to each other. The mandibles are long, thickened in front near the base, and slightly turned outward at the ends and strongly toothed on the inner side about the claw. The maxillæ are also long and a little widened at the ends. The dorsal groove is very deep. The legs are long, the front pair twice the length of the body. The full-grown female is half an inch in length, the male a third shorter, but with legs nearly as long. The general color is gray, the lighter parts translucent and yellowish. The cephalothorax has three gray stripes, more distinct in the young, a middle stripe from the eyes to the dorsal groove, and one on each side of the thorax. In the young (fig. 444) the markings of the abdomen are two large dark spots near the front end and several other pairs, becoming smaller toward the hinder end. In adults these markings unite into a middle stripe more like Epeira, with a light middle spot in front and several middle spots and pairs of spots diminishing backward. The legs have gray rings at the ends and middle of the joints. The webs are horizontal or inclined, according to the shape of the rocks on which they are built. They resemble the webs of Tetragnatha, having a small central spiral with a round hole in the middle, across which the spider holds herself. This spider matures late in the autumn or early in the summer, and makes large, loose, and transparent cocoons, hung near the webs.

$Argyroepeira hortorum.$--This is a green and silver-white spider, with slender legs and a long abdomen resembling Tetragnatha. The body of the female is about a quarter of an inch long, the abdomen twice as long as wide, and blunt at both ends (fig. 447). The first pair of legs are twice as long as the body, the second a fourth shorter (fig. 446). The legs are bright green, darker toward the ends. The cephalothorax is green, with a darker stripe in the middle and one on each side. The upper part of the abdomen is silver white, with a dark line through the middle, giving off four pairs of branches at the sides. At the sides of the abdomen are yellow stripes extending downward, and toward the hinder end two bright copper-red spots. The colors of the under side are as bright as those above and are more plainly seen as the spider hangs in its web. The basal joints of the legs are light in color, and the sternum and mouth parts dark. The abdomen is green, darker from front to back, where it is almost black around the spinnerets. In the middle is a large double spot of bright copper red, and the red spots at the end of the body show as plainly from below as from above, and around the middle spot are several small spots of bright yellow. The hairs and spines of the legs are so fine that they do not much affect the general color. On the front side of the femur of the fourth leg there is a fringe of long hairs extending half its length. The males are half as large as the females, with longer and more slender legs and palpi, and the same colors. The webs are nearly horizontal, with a small hole in the center, and under the round web is often a large irregular web. The round web may be a foot in diameter, or it may be so small as hardly to cover the spider. The webs have a large number of rays, and the spirals are very close together, as in the webs of _Epeira gibberosa_ (fig. 413). The smooth central part of the web is circular and very regularly woven, showing usually no trace of the beginning of the temporary spirals, and between it and the sticky circles there is a wide space in which is nothing but the bare rays.

$Argiope riparia.$--This and the next species are among the largest and most conspicuous of the round-web spiders. It lives among grass and low bushes in open fields and meadows, especially along the borders of ponds and ditches. It matures in the northern states about the first of August. Large females are nearly an inch long, with the front legs longer than the body (fig. 449). The cephalothorax is nearly as wide as long and covered with silvery white hairs, except around the eyes. The front legs are entirely black, and the others are black, except the femora, which are light red or yellow. The abdomen is oval, a little pointed behind and square in front, with two small humps at the corners. There is a black stripe in the middle of the abdomen, narrowed between the humps and widened in the middle, where it includes two pairs of yellow spots. Along the sides are two bright yellow bands or rows of irregular spots. The color underneath is black, with a yellow stripe on the sternum and two wide yellow stripes on the abdomen, with small yellow spots between and at the sides. The young differ considerably from the adults. Until nearly full grown the legs are distinctly marked with dark rings on the ends and middle of each joint. When very young the abdomen is slender, the color is pale, and the markings gray, without the strong black and yellow of the adult. The male (fig. 450) is only a fourth as long as the female, similarly colored, but with the markings less distinct and the palpi very large. In the middle of the summer they live near the webs of the females, where they make small and imperfect webs of their own (fig. 452). The females make webs, sometimes two feet in diameter, with a zigzag band (fig. 448) of white silk up and down across the middle, and a round thick spot where the spider stands. The inner spiral of these webs is very large, covering a quarter of their diameter (fig. 452). The outer spiral comes very near it, but the spider sometimes passes through the narrow space between them from one side of the web to the other. The web is usually a little inclined, and on one or both sides sometimes has a screen of irregular threads two or three inches distant from it (fig. 453), but these are often absent. These spiders have no nest and stand all the time in the center of the web (fig. 448). Sometimes the spider draws away the grass and leaves so as to make an oval opening large enough for the web (fig. 453). In September the eggs are laid in large pear-shaped cocoons with a brown paper-like surface, hung by threads among the grass and bushes (fig. 454). The young hatch during the winter and remain in the cocoon until May. The adult spiders disappear in October and probably all die before winter.

$Argiope transversa.$--This species is a little smaller than _riparia_. It lives in the same places and matures a little later, about September 1. The abdomen is more pointed than that of _riparia_ (fig. 455). The ground color is white or light yellow, and is crossed by a great number of black transverse lines, which are sometimes obscured, especially in young spiders, by a thick covering of silvery-white hairs. The cephalothorax is covered with white hairs through which the dark markings on the sides show indistinctly. The legs are light yellow, with black bands at the ends and middle of each joint. The femora of the first legs are sometimes entirely black. The young have the back entirely white. The markings of the under side are similar to those of _riparia_. The male (fig. 456) is colored like the female, but is only a fourth as large. The legs are yellow, marked with black spots, but have no rings. It has the same habits as _riparia_. It remains in its web later in the season, and makes a cocoon flattened on the top (fig. 458) instead of narrowed to a neck, like those of _riparia_.

This species often makes its web in marsh grass, which it draws away and fastens with silk (fig. 457). As the surrounding grass becomes long and weak, it sometimes falls away, leaving the web in a basket of grass fastened firmly enough together to remain standing.

THE GENUS TETRAGNATHA

The Tetragnathas are slender, usually straw-colored spiders, living in their webs among the long grass in meadows and near water. The legs are slender, the cephalothorax narrow, and the abdomen long and cylindrical. The mandibles are large in both sexes, and in the males are very long and furnished with long teeth at the end and along the inner margin. When pairing, the male and female hold each other by the ends of the mandibles. The eyes are in two rows nearly equal and parallel, and the distance between the lateral pairs varies in different species. The palpi are long and slender in both sexes, and in the males their proportions differ according to the species. The legs are also long and slender, and vary in length from _grallator_, where the female has the first legs ten times as long as the cephalothorax, to _laboriosa_, in which they are seven times as long. The webs are generally inclined and may be nearly horizontal or nearly vertical, according to the place where they are made (fig. 459). The inner spiral is small and has a hole in the middle (fig. 460). The spider stands in the web with the legs extended forward and backward close to each other, except at the ends, where they are turned outward (fig. 459). On account of their similar size and color, the species look at first sight much alike, but there are differences in the arrangement of the lateral eyes and the length of the legs, palpi, and mandibles.

$Tetragnatha grallator.$--This spider grows to be half an inch long, with the first legs an inch and a half. The mandibles of the female are as long as the cephalothorax, and those of the male longer (figs. 461, 465). In both sexes they are inclined forward, so as to be nearly horizontal and spread apart at the ends. The lateral eyes are near together, so that they almost touch, and the upper row when seen from above is nearly straight. The palpi of both sexes are over one and a half times as long as the cephalothorax, and in the males sometimes twice as long (fig. 465). The patella and tibia together are nearly as long as the femur. The color is sometimes light yellow, but often gray, with a broken middle stripe of darker gray on the abdomen, and three stripes on the cephalothorax. The abdomen is generally enlarged a little in the front third (fig. 461). The males are smaller and more slender than the females, with longer legs and mandibles.

$Tetragnatha extensa.$--Female a quarter to three-eighths of an inch long, with the first leg three-quarters of an inch. The abdomen is shorter than in _grallator_, about twice as long as the cephalothorax, and not as much widened in front (fig. 462). The mandibles are two-thirds as long as the cephalothorax and not much inclined forward. The lateral eyes are near together. The colors are often dark, dull yellow brown or gray, with three lines on the cephalothorax and a middle dark stripe on the abdomen, with a light silvery stripe on each side.

The male is smaller and more slender, with the legs longer. The male palpi are one-half longer than the cephalothorax, the femur forming nearly half its length (fig. 466).

$Tetragnatha laboriosa.$--A little smaller than _extensa_, with shorter legs and mandibles, the latter short enough in the female to be almost vertical (fig. 463). The abdomen is proportionally longer than in _extensa_, usually in the females three times as long as the cephalothorax. The first legs are about seven times as long as the cephalothorax. The upper row of eyes is a little curved, so that the lateral pairs of eyes are as far apart as the middle ones (fig. 467). The general color is light yellow. The abdomen is silvery white, with some indistinct gray markings along the middle, and dark stripes on the under side. In the males the mandibles (fig. 467) are short compared with the other species, and are about two-thirds as long as the cephalothorax, and the tibia is very little longer than the patella.

$Tetragnatha straminea.$--A quarter to three-eighths of an inch long, about the same size as _laboriosa_, and the same color. The legs, palpi, and mandibles are all a little longer than in _laboriosa_, and the lateral eyes are farther apart than the middle pairs (fig. 464). In the males the abdomen is shorter and smaller, and the legs longer. The male palpi (fig. 468) are one and a half times the length of the cephalothorax. In females the abdomen is usually three times as long as the cephalothorax and more slender than in _laboriosa_.

THE CINIFLONIDÆ, OR CRIBELLATA

This group comprises several families that differ greatly in form and habits, but agree in having peculiar spinning organs, different from those of all the other spiders. They have the usual six spinnerets and in addition the cribellum (fig. 469), a flat, wide spinning organ, close in front of the other spinnerets and covered with finer spinning tubes. Besides this additional spinning organ they have on the hind legs the calamistrum (fig. 470), a row of hairs that is used to draw out a loose band of silk from the spinnerets. Most of our species belong to the genera Dictyna and Amaurobius and resemble Tegenaria (pp. 96-99) in their feet with three claws, in the arrangement of the eyes, and in their general form and color. The others belong to the small and peculiar genera Filistata, Hyptiotes, and Uloborus.

THE GENUS DICTYNA

The Dictynas are all small spiders, not more than a sixth of an inch in length, but are brightly colored and live in webs in open places, where they cannot fail to be seen by any one who looks for spiders. They are not easily frightened, and so their habits can be more easily watched than those of many larger kinds. The heads are high, arching up from the eyes to the highest part opposite the first legs (fig. 476). The eyes are higher and the front of the head is more nearly vertical than in Amaurobius (fig. 489). The head is about half as wide as the thorax and distinctly marked off from it and usually lighter colored. The abdomen is sometimes marked with light yellow on a gray ground, as in Amaurobius, or with a light middle stripe of various shapes, bordered with brown or gray (fig. 487). The whole body is covered with fine hairs, and there are often long white hairs in rows on the cephalothorax. The cribellum is large for the size of the spiders and can generally be plainly seen just in front of the other spinnerets. The calamistrum is not so easy to see, but it covers about half the length of the fourth metatarsus. The peculiarities of the species of these spiders are more strongly marked in the males. The mandibles of both sexes are long and a little curved forward at the ends (fig. 476), but in the males they are sometimes so long that the distance from the ends of the mandibles to the top of the head is as great as the length of the cephalothorax, and the lower ends are turned forward at a sharp angle with the upper part. The mandibles of the males are curved apart in the middle, and they have at the base a short tooth projecting forward (fig. 477). The palpi of the males have a process on the tibia, usually near the base, on the end of which are two spines (fig. 478). There is not much difference in size between the sexes, but they are often very differently colored, and the males do not have the cribellum and calamistrum, or have only rudiments of them.

Some species live on walls and fences, making large webs that become conspicuous from the dust which they collect. Others prefer the tops of plants like stiff grass and the tops of golden-rod and spiræa. Others, like _volupis_ (fig. 474), prefer leaves and the ends of growing branches. The webs are usually irregular, but sometimes are nearly round and formed by threads radiating from the spider's hole, crossed irregularly by other threads (fig. 471).

$Dictyna volupis.$--This species and _frondea_ are brighter colored and more slender than _muraria_ and _volucripes_ (fig. 484) and live among the leaves of bushes. The female _volupis_ has the legs pale, almost white, and the cephalothorax light brown, darker at the sides and light on the head (fig. 474). The abdomen is yellow in the middle and brown, sometimes red, at the sides. The middle yellow portion forms a regular figure differing much in different individuals. The male is quite differently colored. The cephalothorax, which is larger, is bright orange brown, without much difference between the head and the sides (fig. 475). The legs are light orange, darker than those of the female. The abdomen is dark reddish brown, sometimes over the whole back, but usually with a yellow irregular middle spot smaller than that of the female. The ends of the male palpi are dark colored and as large as the spider's head (fig. 475). The hairs are very fine and light colored and do not modify the color as much as they do in the brown species. The length of _volupis_ is not over an eighth of an inch. The abdomen is oval and not as wide or high as in _volucripes_ and _muraria_. The head of the male is high, and the mandibles almost as long as the cephalothorax (fig. 476). The lower half is turned sharply forward and flattened out at the end. The mandibles are light orange brown, so that their shape is more readily seen than in the dark species. The tooth on the front of the base of the mandibles is very large in this species (fig. 477).

$Dictyna frondea.$--This resembles _volupis_ and is likely to be mistaken for it. It is a little smaller, not over a tenth of an inch long, and there is less difference between the sexes. The legs are pale, and the cephalothorax light brown, lighter on the head. The abdomen is gray at the sides, not as red as in _volupis_, and the middle light stripe is narrower and not as bright yellow (fig. 479). The sternum and under side of the abdomen are gray, as dark as the upper part and sides, while in _volupis_ they are generally lighter. The males have the cephalothorax larger, and that and the legs a little brighter colored than in the female, and the abdomen darker. The mandibles are not as long as in the male _volupis_, and the ends of the male palpi are much smaller and the tibia longer and straighter than in _volupis_ (fig. 481).

$Dictyna cruciata.$--About a tenth of an inch long, with the abdomen large and oval, as in _muraria_. The cephalothorax is light brown above and below, and the legs the same color, but still lighter. The abdomen is gray beneath and at the sides, and silvery white on the back, sometimes over the whole upper surface, but oftener in a stripe widened in the middle so as to form a white cross on a gray ground (fig. 482). The males are darker colored, with the light spot on the abdomen smaller. The male palpi are short and slender, the ends large and rounded and carried close to the head (fig. 483).

$Dictyna volucripes and muraria.$--These two gray spiders are the common Dictynas on walls and fences and on the ends of grass and weeds, where they make webs shaped according to the places where they live, having in some part of the web a hole in which the spider usually hides (fig. 473). Some allied species make nearly circular webs on walls, with the hole near the center, and gather so much dust as to appear like a spot of dirt (fig. 471). _Volucripes_ is about a sixth of an inch in length, and _muraria_ an eighth of an inch. _Volucripes_ is browner in color and more common on plants, and _muraria_ is grayer and more common on fences. Both species are marked much alike. The cephalothorax is dark brown, partly covered with light gray hairs, some of which form roughly three stripes on the head. The abdomen is large and round, in some females nearly as wide as long. The front half has a middle dark spot of various shapes, and the hinder half two rows of spots connected in pairs with a middle line, forming a figure much like the markings of several species of Epeira (figs. 484, 487). The legs are dark gray or brown, covered with fine hairs, the first pair not much longer than the body. In the females the mandibles are a little thickened in the middle. In the male they are elongated and turned forward at the ends and curved apart in the middle, and have a small tooth on the front near the base. The palpi of the males (figs. 485, 486) are short, with the patella as wide as it is long and wider than the femur and tibia. The tarsus is half longer than wide and pointed at the end. In the tibia there is a little difference between the species that can be seen by looking at the palpi from the side; in _volucripes_ there is a stout process at the base as long as the tibia itself and pointing upward at a right angle with it (fig. 485); in _muraria_ the corresponding process is short and turned forward, and the tibia seems proportionally longer (fig. 486). The cribellum in both these species is large and can easily be seen in front of the other spinnerets. The calamistrum extends over half the length of the fourth metatarsus, which in _volucripes_ is slightly curved.

$Amaurobius sylvestris.$--This is the common Amaurobius all over the northern part of the country. It resembles our species of Tegenaria (figs. 228, 233) and may easily be mistaken for them. It does not have long upper spinnerets like Tegenaria, and the eyes are lower on the front of the head. The females (fig. 489) are two-fifths of an inch long, and the males a third of an inch, but with much longer legs. The head of the female is almost as wide as the middle of the thorax, and the eyes cover half its width. The front row of eyes are within their diameter of the front of the head. The head is low in front and higher halfway between the eyes and the dorsal groove. The mandibles are much swelled at the base in front, as they are in _Tegenaria medicinalis_. The abdomen is oval, widest behind, and usually as long as the cephalothorax or longer. The legs are not more than a fourth longer than the body, and slender for so large a spider. The cephalothorax is dark brown, darkest in front, and the legs are a little lighter brown, without markings. The abdomen is gray, with a double row of oblique yellow or white markings on the hinder half and two curved marks of the same color on the front. These spots sometimes run together, so that the whole middle of the abdomen is light colored. The males have the head narrower and the thorax wider and all the legs longer than the female, and the cephalothorax and mandibles are not so dark colored. The male palpi have the patella as short as wide, and the tibia very short and wide, with a short hook on the outer and a longer and more slender one on the inner side, as shown in fig. 490. The epigynum has a small middle lobe inclosed by two lateral lobes that meet behind, and by this the female can be distinguished from the next species,--_Amaurobius ferox_. The cribellum (fig. 469) is sometimes covered by a fold of the skin, so that it is not readily seen. The calamistrum (fig. 470) is a close row of curved hairs on the upper side of the fourth metatarsus, about half its length. In the male the cribellum is rudimentary, and there is no calamistrum.

This spider makes a large loose web under stones and sticks (fig. 488). In the parts freshly made the loose bands of silk can be seen running irregularly about on the other threads (fig. 491).

$Amaurobius ferox.$--This lives in houses and is probably an imported species, as it is more common in Europe. It grows a little larger than _sylvestris_ (fig. 489), and the head is a little more narrowed in front of the legs. The colors and markings are much as in _sylvestris_, but the abdomen is often darker, and the middle light stripe on the front more distinct. The epigynum has a larger middle lobe, and the lateral lobes are straighter and do not meet in the middle. The males are colored like the females and have the thorax wider and the legs longer. The palpi of the male have the tarsus short and round. The tibia (fig. 492) has only a small short hook on the inner side, and a large blunt process on the outer side. The male palpi and the epigynum distinguish these easily from the last species.

$Amaurobius (Titanœca) americana.$--Quarter of an inch long and deep black, except the cephalothorax, which is dull orange color, but covered, like the rest of the body, with long black hairs (fig. 493). Some individuals have a few light gray spots in pairs on the abdomen. The shape of the cephalothorax and abdomen are like _Amaurobius sylvestris_, and the legs are of the same proportional length and stouter. The palpi of the female have the tibia and tarsus a little thickened. The metatarsus of the fourth legs has the calamistrum more distinct than in others of the family, and the metatarsus appears thicker up and down than it is sidewise. The male has the legs longer, particularly the first pair, of which the tibia and metatarsus are more elongated than the other joints, and have many small spines on the under side. The male palpi have the tarsus large and round, supported by a wide and very complicated tibia. It lives under stones in the hottest and dryest places.

$Uloborus plumipes.$--Uloborus makes a round web, like those of the Epeiridæ, and when hanging in it resembles a Tetragnatha. The adult female is about a quarter of an inch long, and narrow like Tetragnatha. The cephalothorax is low in front and extends forward, in the middle, beyond the mandibles, and the back part is widened and swelled up on each side where the abdomen extends over it (fig. 494). The abdomen is slightly notched in front and covers the cephalothorax a quarter of its length. The abdomen is widest and thickest in the front third and has there a pair of humps. The eyes are in two rows, those of the upper row largest and on the top of the head, with the lateral pair farthest back. The front row are on the edge of the head close to the mandibles. The first pair of legs is the longest and is twice as long as the second. It has at the end of the tibia a brush of long coarse hairs. The colors are various shades of brown, from very light to almost black. The cephalothorax has a light middle stripe. The legs have the joints light in the middle and black at the ends, except the first leg, which sometimes has the tarsus and metatarsus white, and the rest of the leg dark brown. The fourth metatarsus is curved in on the outer side, where the calamistrum is placed. The male is smaller than the female, the legs are longer, the abdomen is smaller and less distinctly humped, the first legs do not have the brushes on the tibia, and the fourth legs do not have the calamistrum. The webs resemble those of Epeira and Tetragnatha, and are horizontal or inclined. They are often left unfinished, with several turns of the wide temporary spiral still in them (fig. 495). Sometimes there are zigzag lines of loose silk across the center or in a middle spiral, and when the eggs are laid the long cocoons are fastened in a line of silk across the web (fig. 497). When this is done the center of the radii of the web is usually at the upper part, instead of in the middle, and the whole web is one-sided. It is found all over the country, usually in shady woods, in bushes, or in the lower branches of trees, especially in the lower dead branches of pines.

$Hyptiotes cavatus.$--This peculiar spider resembles in shape and color the end of one of the dead pine branches among which it lives. It is a sixth of an inch long. The cephalothorax is as wide as long, highest in the middle, and hollowed behind under the abdomen. The abdomen is oval, thickest behind, and flattened in front, and has on the back four pairs of slight elevations, on which are a few stiff hairs (fig. 498). The legs are short and thickest in the middle, tapering toward the claws. The hind metatarsi are curved in at the calamistrum (fig. 499). The eyes are arranged as in Uloborus, but are farther apart and farther back on the cephalothorax. The male is half as large as the female, the abdomen smaller, and the humps lower.

The web (fig. 500) consists of four rays crossed by a dozen or more threads. The point where the rays meet is attached to a thread which extends to the spider's roost, usually the end of a twig. Here it holds on by the hind feet and draws the thread tight with the fore feet. When an insect strikes the web the spider lets go with the hind feet and is jerked forward by the contraction of the web, and slides along toward its center, where it finds the prey and takes it out of the web to its perch. The making of this web has been described by Wilder in the _Popular Science Monthly_ in 1875. The cross threads are made separately, beginning with the longest. They are begun on the upper ray, the spider walking toward the center, combing out the threads with its hind legs, until it reaches a point where it can cross to the next. It is found all over the country, usually in the pine woods.

$Filistata hibernalis.$--One of the most common house spiders in the southern states, making webs in corners and on walls and fences (fig. 501). The body is about half an inch long, but the legs are so long and stout that it appears much larger. The first leg, which is the longest, is about twice the length of the body. The palpi are as long as the cephalothorax and thicker than in most spiders. The maxillæ are inclined toward each other so that they meet in front of the labium. The cephalothorax is flat and narrowed in front between the palpi, and the mandibles are small. The eyes are in one group, close together. The color is dark gray, without any markings, and the whole body is covered with fine short hairs. The calamistrum is very short, and near the base of the fourth metatarsus, where it can easily be seen. The web is like that of Dictyna, radiating irregularly from the spider's hiding place, and when this is on a flat wall forms sometimes a circle a foot or more in diameter, which becomes filled with dust and is enlarged and thickened as the spider grows.

INDEX

Abdomen, the posterior half of the body, x.

Acrosoma, 188.
mitrata, 189.
rugosa, 189.
spinea, 190.

Adult characters of spiders, xi.

Agalena nævia, 93.

Agalenidæ, 91.

Age of spiders, xv.

Agrœca pratensis, 11.

Air-sacs, x.

Air-tubes, x.

Amaurobius americana, 215.
ferox, 215.
sylvestris, 213.

Anatomy of spiders, viii-xi.

Anyphæna calcarata, 13.
incerta, 12.
rubra, 13.
saltabunda, 14.

Argiope, 194.
cocoons of, 197, 200.
riparia, 194.
transversa, 198.
webs of, 192, 194, 196, 199.

Argyrodes, 123.
fictilium, 126.
nephilæ, 125.
trigonum, 124.

Argyroepeira hortorum, 191.

Ariadne bicolor, 123.

Asagena americana, 122.

Attidæ, 41.

Attus palustris, 42.

Bathyphantes, see under Linyphia, 143, 145.

Bites of spiders, viii.

Breathing holes, x.

Cælotes, see under Tegenaria, 99.

Calamistrum, 205.

Catalogue of American spiders, viii.

Cephalothorax, viii.

Ceratinalla fissiceps, 152.
lætabilis, 151.

Ceratinopsis interpres, 153.

Chiracanthium viride, 21.

Ciniflonidæ, 205.

Claws, x.

Clubiona, 15.
canadensis, 17.
crassipalpis, 16.
excepta, 19.
ornata, 18.
rubra, 18.
tibialis, 16.

Cobwebs, xvi.

Cocoons, xiv.

Colors, xi.

Coriarachne depressa, 34.
versicolor, 34.

Cornicularia directa, 152.

Coxa, the first joint of the leg, viii.

Crab spiders, see Thomisidæ, 24.

Cribellata, 205.

Cribellum, 205.

Cyclosa conica, 183.

Cyrba tæniola, 63.

Daddy longlegs, see Pholcus, 128.

Dendryphantes, 53, 54.
æstivalis, 54.
militaris, 53.

Dew on cobwebs, 107, 108.

Dictyna, 206-211.
cruciata, 210.
frondea, 210.
volucripes, 211.
volupis, 209.

Diplostyla, see under Linyphia, 147.
concolor = Linyphia concolor, 147.
nigrina = Linyphia nigrina, 147.

Dolomedes sexpunctatus, 85.
tenebrosus, 87.

Dorsal groove, viii.

Drapetisca socialis = Linyphia socialis, 145.

Drassidæ, 1.

Drassus saccatus, 6.

Dysdera interrita, 22.

Dysderidæ, a family of spiders with six eyes, 22.

Ebo latithorax, 37.

Eggs of spiders, xiv.

Epeira, 160-180.
angulata, 164.
caudata or conica, see Cyclosa, 183.
cinerea, 165.
corticaria, 165.
directa, see Larinia directa, 182.
displicata, 172.
domiciliorum, see trivittata, 167.
gibberosa, 175, 176.
globosa, 173.
insularis, 169.
labyrinthea, 174.
marmorea, see insularis, 169.
nordmanni, 163.
parvula, 179.
patagiata, 160, 161.
placida, 176.
pratensis, 167.
sclopetaria, 160, 161.
scutulata, 178.
silvatica, 164.
stellata, 179.
strix, 160, 161.
thaddeus, 170.
triaranea, see globosa, 173, 174.
trifolium, 171, 172.
trivittata, 166.
verrucosa, 181.

Epeiridæ, 154.

Epiblemum scenicum, 60.

Epigynum, xi.

Erigone, 148.
autumnalis, 151.
dentigera, 149.
longipalpis, 149.

Ero thoracica, 132.

Euryopis funebris, 127.

Eyes of spiders, ix.

Feet, x.

Femur, viii.

Filistata hibernalis, 220.

Flat webs, 134; see Agalenidæ, 91;
Linyphia, 100.

Flower spiders, see Misumena, 25.

Flying spiders, Erigone, 151.
Lycosa, 68.

Geotrecha bivittata, 8.
crocata, 7.

Gnaphosa brumalis, 3.
conspersa, 2.

Gossamer, 149.

Ground spiders, Lycosidæ, 67.
Drassidæ, 1.

Habrocestum auratum, 43, 44.
peregrinum, 45.
splendens, 46.

Hahnia bimaculata, 105.

Hahnia cinerea, 106.

Hairs, xi.

Hasarius hoyi, 63, 64.

Head, viii.

Helophora insignis, see Linyphia insignis, 146.

House spiders, xii.

Hunting spiders, xv.

Hyctia pikei, 62.

Hyptiotes cavatus, 218.

Icius elegans, 57, 58.
mitratus, 57.
palmarum, 56.

Jumping spiders, see Attidæ, 41.

Labium, x.

Larinia directa, 182.

Latrodectus mactans, 122, 123.

Legs, viii.

Linyphia, 134.
bucculenta = trilineata, 143.
coccinea, 140. communis, 138.
concolor, 147.
insignis, 146.
mandibulata, 139.
marginata, 136.
minuta, 144.
nebulosa, 143.
nigrina, 147.
phrygiana, 141, 143.
socialis, 145.
trilineata, 143.

Linyphiadæ, 134.

Lungs, x.

Lycosa carolinensis, 73, 74.
cinerea, 73, 74.
communis, 75.
kochii, 74.
nidicola, 69.
nidifex, 70, 72, 73.

Lycosa ocreata, 77.
polita, 70.
pratensis, 69.
scutulata, 76.

Lycosidæ, 67.

Lyssomanes viridis, 65.

Mævia vittata, 59.

Male spiders, xi.

Mandibles, viii.
of Tetragnatha, 203, 204.

Markings, xi.

Marptusa familiaris, 61.

Marx, George, list of spiders of North America, viii.

Maxillæ, x.

Meta menardi, 190.

Metatarsus, viii.

Micaria aurata, 8.
longipes, 8.

Mimetus interfector, 132.

Misumena, 25.

Names of spiders, vii.

Neon nellii, 47.

Nests of spiders, xiv.

Number of spiders, vii.

Ocyale undata, 88.

Oxyopes salticus, 88.
viridans, 89, 90.

Palpal organ, xi.

Palpi, viii.

Pardosa, 78.
albomaculata = greenlandica, 79.
albopatella, 83.
brunnea = glacialis, 80.
glacialis, 80.
greenlandica, 79.
lapidicina, 78.
montana = tachypoda, 81.
nigropalpis, 82.

Pardosa pallida, 81.
tachypoda, 81.

Patella, viii.

Pellenes, see Habrocestum, 44-46.

Peucetia, see Oxyopes viridans, 89, 90.

Phalangium, 128.

Phidippus multiformis, 48, 49.
mystaceus, 50.
tripunctatus, 51.

Philodromus, 35.
lineatus, 37.
ornatus, 36.
pictus, 37.
vulgaris, 35.

Pholcus phalangioides, 128, 129.
cornutus, 130.

Phrurolithus alarius, 9, 10.

Pirata piraticus, 84.

Plexippus puerperus, 52.

Pœcilochroa variegata, 4.
bilineata, 4.

Poison of spiders, viii.

Prosthesima atra, 5.
ecclesiastica, 5.

Pythonissa imbecilla, 3.

Round cobwebs, 155-159.

Saitis pulex, 43.

Salticus scenicus, see Epiblemum scenicum, 60.

Scales, xi.

Scytodes thoracica, 131.

Sight of spiders, ix.

Singa pratensis, 186.
variabilis, 187.

Spinnerets, x.

Spintharus flavidus, 127.

Spiral threads of cobwebs, 155-159.

Steatoda borealis, 119.
corollata, 121.
guttata, 120.
marmorata, 120.
triangulosa, 121.

Stemonyphantes, see Linyphia trilineata, 143.

Sternum, x.

Synemosyna, 64.

Tarantula, see Lycosa carolinensis, 73, 74.

Tarsus, viii.

Tegenaria, 96-103.
complicata, 102.
derhamii, 96-98.
longitarsus, 102, 104.
medicinalis, 99.

Tetragnatha, 198-204.
extensa, 201.
grallator, 200.
laboriosa, 202.
straminea, 204.

Thanatus coloradensis, 39, 40.
lycosoides, 39, 40.

Therididæ, 107.

Theridium, 110.
differens, 114.
frondeum, 116, 117.
globosum, 113.
murarium, 115.
rupicola, 113.
spirale, 116.
tepidariorum, 111, 112.
unimaculatum, 118.
verecundum = Latrodectus mactans, 122.

Theridula sphærula, 127, 128.

Thomisidæ, 24.

Thorax, viii.

Tibellus duttonii, 39.

Tibia, viii.

Titanæca, see Amaurobius americana, 215.

Tmarus caudatus, 38.

Tracheæ, x.

Trachelas ruber, 19, 20.

Trochanter, viii.

Uloborus plumipes, 216, 217.

Winter habits of spiders, xv.

Xysticus, 30.
gulosus, 31.
limbatus, 31.
nervosus, 32.
quadrilineatus, 33.
stomachosus, 30.
triguttatus, 33.
versicolor, 34.

Zilla, 184-186.
atrica, 185.
montana, 186.
x-notata, 186.

Transcriber's Notes:

Page xii. Filistata hibernalis (p 220) is one of the most common....
A period added to (p 220) so that it reads (p. 220) as all
the other references of the original text.

Page 17. The upper tibial process is a simple point extending along
the outer side of the tarsus for quarter of its length.
Inserted "a" ... of the tarsus for a quarter of its length.

Page 61. The legs are long and stout, the fourth pair one-half
longer than the abodmen. Abodmen changed to abdomen.

Page 63. Cyrba tæeniola. tæeniola changed to tæniola.

Page 160. Caption

HYPHENATION:
All the end-of-line hyphenation that occured in the original
text has been checked for usage within the body of the text
and conformed to it. When only one instance of the word
appeared at end-of-line a dictionary of the time period was
consulted.

ALTERNATE USAGE:

Page 171.

Page 187.

Page 171. 401 a. space between 401 and a.--Page 187. 435a. No space
between 435 and a.

ALTERNATE SPELLING:

Page 79. driest--Page 216. dryest