ORBWEAVING SPIDERS OF THE UNITED STATES

With profound satisfaction the author gives to the scientific public the third and last volume of a work which has engaged his thoughts for more than twenty years. That he has been permitted to finish a labor nis e prolonged throughout so great a period, and wrought upon amidst the many duties and burdens of a busy professional career, excites 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 pause. Happily this apprehension is now dismissed, and the duty at last ended is herewith submitted to the judgment of fellow workers in and lovers of Natural History.

PROF NICHOLAS The MARCELLUS HENTZ Father of American Araneotogy AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK A NATURAL HISTORY OP TIIE ORBWEAVING SPIDERS OF THE UNITED STATES WITH SPECIAL REGARD TO THEIR INDUSTRY AND HABITS BY HENEY O McOOOK, D D., Vice-President ok the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; Professor of Entomology 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 1*77 Gc 53 AUTHOR'S EDITION This Edition is limited to Two Hundred and Fifty which this set is Subscription No Author's Signature, THE PRESS OF ALLEN, LANE SCOTT, PHILADELPHIA 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 public the volume of a work which has engaged his thoughts for more than twenty years That he has been permitted to finish a labor nis e prolonged throughout so great a period, and wrought upon amidst the many duties and burdens of a busy professional career, The fear that he might not finish his self imexcites earnest gratitude posed task, and thus leave an incomplete work, has caused sore anxiety, especially when, at sundry times, more or less serious illness has commanded pause Happily this apprehension is now dismissed, and the duty at last ended is herewith submitted to the judgment of fellow workers in and third and last ^ 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 These topics are in the line of those which the author has heretofore especially In addition thereto, and forming indeed the the two previous volumes Scope studies in (Ecology to e ^ of , many given his attention bulk of this volume, the second part thereof contains descriptions indigenous species of Orbweavers, illustrated by thirty litho- graphic plates, colored by hand from Nature Most of these plates are of Orbweavers, the group to which the author has given special syste- matic study But two plates are added, without descriptions 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 habits and industry The general forms, colors, and proportions of spiders as they present 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 has been necessary to identify the species, and in many cases to describe them It has seemed (5) proper, therefore, that the M'ork thus done should be preserved to science the descriptions of the animals' life history But the in connection with author has shaped admit that to this part of his work grew in his De y° n d the bounds of his liands far the°Work itself first intent, into the resolve to publish descriptions and and finally plates not only of the Orbweavers whose habits he had described, but of all accessible American species of that group In this matter he has been led along step by step, adding species to species, page to page, and plate by a plate, to Working desire to make naturalists, at least, will his work yet more and more complete 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 animals, scientific description is always a laborious service DescripWhen it is impossible to mount these animals in any satisfactory way> as * s tne case witn spiders, and one is compelled to Work labor with alcoholic specimens, many of which are minute and mutilated, and often with unique examples in hand which may not be broken up for convenient study, the ordinary difficulties are much in- work has not been an unpleasant one; for about studies in classification which every true naturalist has felt Dry and uninteresting as the details usually are to the general public, to the specialist they have peculiar interest The comparison of species with species and genus with genus; the task of separating on 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 creased there is Nevertheless, a the fascination pleasing faculties of the intellect, and contribute largely to the enjoyment Nevertheless, to one who can only labor at odd hours, and who is thus apt to lose the connection established by long of the systematic naturalist 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 text and proper to say that the increased cost of printing necessary two years ago to notify the public that the original price of ten dollars per volume, or thirty dollars for tne entire set > including plates, must be increased to fifty plates the Books made it is it dollars the All subscribers at the original price will be 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, served with Volume set III which some have already come, to sell the work at the first named price 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, for which there is no reason at all; nor to excite sympathy, which is of Even ; neither required nor desired, but to give a plain and honest reason for a change which ought to be explained For further business notice those interested therein are referred to the advertisement at the close of the book The most 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 > TVi 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 Attidse 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 agreeable part of a preface to an author for kindly aid rendered ; Campbell, of Herts, England, for many courtesies; Mr Thomas Workman, of Belfast, Ireland, and Mr Frederick Enock, of London, have sent me specimens To Professor Waldemar Wagner, of Moscow, Russia, and Mr Eugene Simon, of Paris, I am especially indebted for copies of their valuable papers and books, and for permission to engrave and use some of the figures with which they are illustrated To the veteran araneologist, Professor Tamerlane 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, was not issued until a large part of my 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 and which descriptions titles relates to the Epeiridoe, a duty as well as a pleasure to place among the number of my public thanks the name of Miss Elizabeth F Bonsall, who has made the original drawings for nearly all the plates contained in the atlas Her faithful and successful work has not always been correctly reproduced by lithographers and colorists, but for the most part it speaks I count it those entitled to for itself in the admirable rendering from life of the species which she has figured As the frontispiece of this volume I have printed a portrait of Professor Nicholas Marcellus Hentz, M D., who may justly be regarded as the father of American Araneology John Abbot was indeed before him in Professor ^j^ an(j