Old Farm Fairies Part 46

The Natties had sprung to their guns at the Fringe's appearance, prepared to pour a broadside into her; but when they saw Sophia's greeting and heard her shout, they took their cue from her, and instead of shot sent cheers after the smuggler and his pretty craft.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ((hand printed) Orb-Weaver)

THE BOYS' ILl.u.s.tRATION.]

"Poor fellow!" sighed Faith, as she leaned over the rail, and watched Raft's vessel disappear under the shadow of the sh.o.r.e; "poor fellow; what a pity that he should be a Pixie!"

THE END.

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

CHAPTER II.

=Note A, p. 14.=--Atypus piceus is a European species of Tunnelweaver (Territelariae), which inhabits Great Britain. It resembles in habit our Atypus Abbotii, the Purse-web spider, found in the Gulf States, especially Florida; but supports its external tube upon the trunks of trees, instead of on the gra.s.s or surface.

=Note B, p. 16.=--Spiders are extremely cleanly in their habits, and brush and comb the various parts of the body with their hairy and spinous legs and palps. When brus.h.i.+ng the head and chest (cephalothorax) the resemblance to the cat's toilet habits warrants the reference in the text.

=Note C, p. 18.=--Some of our American spider species have been imported from Europe, and I have seen them on vessels stowed away in divers crannies and under sundry parts of the s.h.i.+p, and overspun in the method attributed to Spite and his companions, and shown Fig. 15.

CHAPTER III.

=Note A, p. 22.=--Epera globosa is a species of Orbweaver, which spins above its round snare a bell-shaped silken tent, represented at Fig. 17, p. 21.

=Note B, p. 22.=--One of the most common webs spun upon gra.s.s, on box-wood borders of flower beds, on arbor vitae hedges, and such like positions, is that of the Speckled Tubeweaver, Agalena naevia, here described. It is a broad sheet, usually concave or funnel-shaped, with a circular opening near the middle or at one side, which leads into a long silken tube extending downward among the branches, or to the ground. At the opening the spider is usually seen waiting for prey. Lines are attached to the sheet at various parts and reach upwards to bits of foliage, forming a network of lines which support the sheet. Insects in flight strike against these cross lines, and fall down upon the sheet, and become the prey of the Speckled Agalena who rushes upon them from the opening of her tube.

=Note C, p. 24.=--The cables here referred to are the upright lines described in Note B. (See Fig. 28, p. 54.)

=Note D, p. 26.=--The turret of Lycosa arenicola, is here described. It is popularly known as the Turret Spider. This animal is widely distributed throughout the United States, and may be found along the Atlantic sh.o.r.e where it burrows in the sand, and sometimes selects small pebbles for the foundation of its tower. The shape of the tower is not always a regular pentagon, but inclines to take that form. Beneath the surface is a tubular burrow extending straight down as far sometimes as twelve inches. The spider is frequently found on guard at the top of the tower.

=Note E, p. 26.=--See Note A above. The web of the Speckled Agalena when spun upon gra.s.s often takes this form and shows a striking likeness to a miniature circus tent.

=Note F, p. 27.=--The Turret Spider is sometimes seen at the summit of its tower with head and fore limbs thrust over the edge, apparently on the lookout for pa.s.sing insects.

=Note G, p. 35.=--The above description and Fig. 22 are of the coc.o.o.n of the large and beautiful Orbweaver Argiope cophinania (or riparia). It is a pear-shaped object about an inch or an inch-and-a-quarter long, and is suspended in the manner shown, among the branches of bushes, etc. The outside is a closely woven silken cloth of a dull yellow color. Next to this is a coating of bright yellow flossy silk, and in the centre is a closely woven ball of purplish or brownish silk, within which may be found the eggs of the mother spider. These sometimes number more than a thousand. When the little ones are hatched out, they live within this silken house until they are strong and old enough to cut their way out and form webs for themselves.

CHAPTER VI.

=Note A, p. 52.=--The lodge here referred to as used for a guard house by the Pixies, is supposed to be a snare of the Speckled Agalena, which often spins its tent-like web upon the low gra.s.s of a lawn. Fig. 27 shows a web spun upon a honeysuckle vine, whose over-arching tendrils form a little cavern or booth which might well suggest a lodge.

CHAPTER VII.

=Note A, p. 62.=--Spider webs are often destroyed or injured by wind storms.

=Note B, p. 62.=--A common habit of ground spiders and those that weave snares upon the ground is to thus hide themselves when molested or alarmed.

=Note C, p. 67.=--"Hand over hand." This roughly describes the method of some spiders in raising their prey when swathed, and in moving building material and debris.

=Note D, p. 69.=--See Note C. The figure is from life.

=Note E, p. 73.=--The achievement attributed to Spite is based upon a recorded account; but the author is bound to say that he has seen no examples of webs that had been counterpoised with intent, as above described. Webs are sometimes found thus balanced as at Fig. 34; but it is doubtful if this is not the result of accident.

CHAPTER VIII.

=Note A, p. 75.=--The mandibles or external jaws of spiders are shown in Fig. 39, and described in the text; the poison gland is shown at Fig.

40. The outlet for the poison may be seen at the tip of the fangs in Fig. 39.

CHAPTER IX.

=Note A, p. 84.=--Certain species, especially Orbweavers (Fig. 86) and Lineweavers, swathe their prey when captured and before eaten. (See Fig.

33, p. 69; Fig. 134, p. 318.)

=Note B, p. 88.=--The bridge-lines here described are common objects in Nature. Spiders move freely from point to point, thereby often crossing considerable intervals. Fig. 44 shows the way in which these bridges and webs may block a path.

CHAPTER X.

=Note A, p. 97.=--The egg-bag within which the mother spider places her eggs is popularly, though not quite correctly, called a coc.o.o.n. It is sometimes simply a wad or ball of loose silk, but more frequently is a bag of stiff and closely woven silk as at Fig. 22. Fig. 47 is the coc.o.o.n of an Orbweaver, Nephila plumipes; Fig. 48, of a Saltigrade or Jumping Spider, Phidippus opifex MCCOOK.

CHAPTER XIII.

=Note A, p. 115.=--Dolomedes fimbriatus, a rather common English spider, makes or utilizes a rude raft of leaves, and drifts over the fens thereon. The American Dolomedes frequents the water but has not been observed to act as above.

=Note B, p. 117.=--As a rule spiders prey upon one another, without regard to species or s.e.x. Fig. 55 represents two males fighting.

CHAPTER XIV.

=Note A, p. 123.=--Lycosa tigrina MCCOOK abounds in the Eastern and Middle United States, and makes the burrow here described.

CHAPTER XV.

=Note A, p. 128.=--Herpyllus ecclesiasticus HENTZ is a common American Tubeweaver. It is black, with a dorsal pattern in white like that shown in the figure of the "Pixie parson."