The Structure and Habits of Spiders

PREFACE.

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.

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