46 A Contribution towards the Knowledge of the
Mode of Capture and Preservation.
"The study of spiders is peculiarly suited to persons of a
sedentary habit, or to those who may love natural history
pursuits, but do not desire to form a collection. In this
respect the observing of spiders possesses an advantage over
the observation of the insect tribes in general, inasmuch as
spiders are more stationary, and when found in their hold,
corner, or web, do not escape observation hy flight, but
require only patience in the observer to unfold much of their
history and. economy. The collector often debars himself
from the discovery of many a fact in the habits and life of
the object of his search by anxiety to add to his collection,
and fear lest the specimen should escape. Still there are
many points that can only be ascertained by a close study
and examination of the object itself; and, especially in
regard to spiders, the scrutiny of those often minute, but
important, structural and other characters upon which the
determination of their species and systematic position depend
is imperative, and hence it is absolutely necessary both to
capture and preserve specimens.
"Probably the difficulty of making pretty cabinet objects
of spiders has, in some measure, hindered their being studied
and collected as commonly as the insect orders. But, pre-
mising here that this difficulty can be, in a great degree,
overcome, it will be well to say a word first about their
capture (on the well-known principle of 'First catch your
hare.')
"First, then, it ought to be an axiom with the spider-
collector never to handle a spider with the fingers if it can
possibly be avoided; because they can scarcely be handled
without great danger of breaking off the legs, or destroying
the hairs, bristles, and spines with which most of them are
more or less furnished. To break off these is to deprive one-
self of one of the best characters for the determination of the
spider ; not to mention that the colours and markings often
depend on the hairs, and hairy pubescence with which the
cephalo-thorax and abdomen are frequently clothed, and
which always show sad traces of destruction after contact
with the fingers. The only spiders that may be caught with-
out much danger of injury in this way are the very minute
ones (especially of the genera Neriene and Walckenaera) upon
which the wetted fore-finger may be lightly placed; the
moisture causes them to adhere to the finger enough for
immersion in the small phial of spirits of wine carried in the
waistcoat pocket. Spiders may be boxed (separately of course)