American Spiders V03, McCook (1)

AMEEICAN SPIDEES THEIR SPINNINGWORK -0- A NATURAL HISTORY ORBWEAVmG SPIDERS OF THE UNITED STATES WITH SPECIAL REGARD TO THEIR INDUSTRY AND HABITS -0- BY HENEY O McOOOK, D D., Vice-President of the Academy of Natural Sciences op Philadelphia; Professor of ENTOMOLonv in the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society VOL III WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF ORBWEAVING SPECIES AND PLATES PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, Academy op Natural Sciences op Philadelphia, A D 1893 PROF NICHOLAS The Father of MARCELLUS HENT2 American Araneology, AUTHOR^S EDITION This Edition is limited to Two Hundred and Fifty which Subscription Author's Signature, THE PRESS OF ALLEN, LANE & SCOTT, PHILADELPHIA this set is No copies, of THESE STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY ARE DEDICATED TO THE VENERATED MEMORY OF MY FATHER, JOHN McCOOK, M D., A LOVER OF NATURE, A FRIEND OF SCIENCE, A GOOD PHYSICIAN, A SERVANT OF HIS FELLOW MEN, WHOSE FAITH IN THE UNSEEN NEVER FALTERED PREFACE With profound ™ satisfaction the author gives to the scientific i^ublic tlie volume of a work which has engaged his thouglits for more than twenty years Tliat he has been permitted to finish a labor prolonged throughout so great a period, and wrought upon amidst the many duties and burdens of a busy professional career, third and last , earnest gratitude The fear that he might not finish his self imposed task, and thus leave an incomplete work, has caused sore anxiety, especially when, at sundry times, more or less serious illness has commanded excites Happily pause ended is this apprehension herewith submitted to is now dismissed, and the duty at last the judgment of fellow workers in and lovers of Natural History In the first part of the volume six chapters are taken to consider various natural habits and physiological problems for which there was no space in the two previous volumes bcope Volume These topics are in the line of those which the author has heretofore especially In addition thereto, and forming indeed the studies in (Ecology to gi'^^^^ ^"s attention bulk of this volume, the second part thereof contains descriptions of many indigenous species of Orbweavers, illustrated by thirty lithographic plates, colored by hand from Nature Most of these plates are of Orbweavers, the group to which the author has given special systematic study But two plates are added, without descrijjtions attached thereto, of representative species of the other aranead groups, especially of those species whose habits have been presented in the foregoing volumes This descriptive work has been thought necessary to complete studies which avowedly chiefly concerned halaits and industry The general forms, colors, and proportions of spiders as they jaresent themselves to an observer's eye in Nature are important to the accurate understanding of their habits One cannot appreciate in full the role which these creatures have to play in Nature until he have a just conception of how they look in the midst of the scenes wherein their life energies are spent For this reason it formed part of the author's original purpose to present the subjects of his study as they appear in natural site, that his readers may have acquaintance not only with their life history but with themselves Moreover, in studying the habits of spiders it lias been necessary to identify the species, and in many cases to describe them It has seemed (5) PREFACE proper, therefore, that the in connection with work thus done sliould be preserved to science the descriptions of the animals' hfe history author has to admit that But the part of his work grew in his tliis hands far beyond tlie bounds of his first intent, and finally shaped itself into the resolve to publish descriptions and plates not only of the Orbweavers whose habits he had described, but of all In this matter he has been accessible American siiecies of that group led along step by step, adding species to species, page to page, and plate to plate, by a desire to make his work yet more and more complete Working naturalists, at least, will sympathize with and appreciate this fact This descriptive work has made the closing volume in many respects the most difficult one of the series To one who has to deal with small ° J'*^ animals, DescripTjj , 'When scientific it is description impossible to tory way, as is is mount always a laborious service any satisfac- these animals in the case with spiders, and one is compelled to many of which are minute and unique examples in hand which may not be labor with alcoholic siiecimens, mutilated, and often with broken up for convenient study, the ordinary difficulties are much infor Nevertheless, the work has not been an unpleasant one creased there is a fascination about studies in classification which every true Dry and uninteresting as the details usually are to the naturalist has felt general public, to the specialist they have peculiar interest The comparison the task of separating on of species with species and genus with genus this side and on that of solving the numerous problems that are constantly arising, and other duties of a like kind, bring into play some of the most pleasing faculties of the intellect, and contribute largely to tlie enjoyment Nevertheless, to one who can only labor at of the systematic naturalist odd hours, and who is thus apt to lose the connection established by long and careful comparisons, the pleasure is much marred This has been the author's estate, and will add to the satisfaction which he will feel should it be judged that he has wrought with reasonable accuracy In this connection it is proper to say that the increased cost of printing text and plates made it necessary two years ago to notify the public that the original price of ten dollars per volume, or thirty dollars ^^^' ^^^^ entire set, including plates, must be increased to fifty th R° k All subscribers at the original price will be dollars the set served with Volume III without additional charge, but others must pay the advanced price The author feels compelled to make this statement here in order to relieve himself from the painful duty of refusing requests, of which some have already come, to sell the work at the first named price Even at the price now named, subscribers will receive the work at less than ; ; ; its actual cost ; a statement which is made not in the way of complaint, no reason at all nor to excite sympathy, which is neither required nor desired, but to give a plain and honest reason for a for which there is ; PREFACE change which ought to be explained For further business notice those interested therein are referred to tlie advertisement at the close of the book The most agreeable part of a preface to an author is his acknowledgment by colaborers and friends First of all, I express my gratitude to Dr George Marx, of Washington, for the friendly and valuable service which he has given me throughout many years _, With a rare generosity and singleness of eye to the advancement of science, he placed at my disposal the Orbweavers in his notable collection Not only so, but on all occasions he has cheerfully and freely given me the benefit of his advice and judgment He has thus laid under lasting obligation, not only the author, but all who are interested in his work I have also to thank others, in different parts of the country, who have contributed specimens and information Among these are Professor and Mrs George W Peckham, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whose joint studies of the Attidae have given to Araneology some of its most attractive and valuable chapters Messrs Orcutt, Davidson, and Blaisdell, and the late Mr John Curtis, of California Miss Rosa Smith, now Mrs Eigenmann, and her mother, Mrs Louisa Smith, of San Diego, California; Professor Orson Howard, of Utah, Mr Thomas Gentry, of Philadelphia, and Messrs Charles H Townsend and Nathan Banks, of Washington, have contributed material that has entered into this work Among European naturalists I am indebted to Mr F M for kindly aid rendered , ; Campbell, of Herts, England, for many courtesies Mr Thomas Workman, Belfast, Ireland, and Mr Frederick Enock, of London, have sent me ; of specimens To Eugene Simon, Professor Waldemar Wagner, of Paris, I am of Moscow, Russia, and Mr especially indebted for copies of their valu- able papers and books, and for permission to engrave and use some of the which they are illustrated To the veteran araneologist ProTamerlane Thorell, whom I gladly acknowledge as " magister," I am indebted for advice from time to time rendered I add an expression of my obligations to one who, unhappily for the interests of Science, no longer lives to prosecute his faithful and distinguished labors, the late Count Keyserling, of Germany His descriptions of American Spiders have been of great service in determining indigenous species, and many specimens personally examined and identified by him have passed through my hands in the course of these studies The posthumous volume of his noble work, " Die Spinnen Amerikas," Part IV., edited by Dr Marx, and which relates to the Epeiridae, was not issued until a large part of my descriptions were already in print For this reason some species here appear as new which are described by him in his last work, and have priority, inasmuch as their publication antedates my own The names, however, are the same, inasmuch as the specific titles given in litteris by Count Keyserling to the examples in Dr Marx' collection have been preserved by me These discrepancies I have corrected as far as possible in the plate figures with fessor ' titles PLATE XXVII Fig ' Uloborus geniculatus, female, maxillse ; Ic, epigynum Fig Uloborus geniculatus, male, X3 Fig Uloboru.? plumipes, female, X4 3c, epigynum ; 3d, ; ; 3a, side view of body show sternum and lb, ; (this tigure is inverted) (Page 273.) 2a, palpus leg to first and mandibles la, face, eyes, ; calamistrum Id, ; tibial brusli ; ; mandibles 3b, face, eyes, 3e, cribellum (c) in ; situ (Page 274.) Fig Uloborus plumipes, X 8, X 8, young female Fig Fig young female Uloborus plumipes, male, x g Hyptiotes cavatus, x ; 4a, sternum and maxillae ; 4b, U plumipes, (California), variation of color 4, (after female ; Emerton) ; Ga, side view, 4a, palpus X4 ; 6b, sternum and maxilUe face; 6d, calamistrum; 6e, cribellum (c) in situ; 6f cribellum; Fig Fig Hyptiotes cavatus, male, x 7a, palpus ; X8; 8b, color variation, Sdj»eyes"and mandibles; 8e, epigynum Theridiosoma radiosum, male,».>