fpecklednefs of his {hell, which proceeded from a kind o f feathers or
hairs, and the hairinefs of his legs, his large thorax and little belly, and
the like, they being manifefted by the Pl a t ea nd fhall only take notice
that the three parts o f the body, namely, the head, and bread,
and belly are in this creature ftrangely confus'd, fo that 'tis difficult
to determin which is which, as they are alfo in a crab and indeed, this-
feems to be nothing elfe, but an air-crab, being made more light and
nimble, proportionable to the medium wherein it refides; and as air
feems to have but one thoufandth part, o f the: body o f water, fo does,
this Spider feem not to be a thoufandth part o f the bulk o f a crab.
T h e jumping Spider is a {mall grey Spider, prettily befpeck’d with
Mack {pots all over the body, which the microfeope difcovers to be a
kind’ o f feathers like thofe on butterflies wings, or the body o f the
white moth. Its gait is very nimble by fits, fometimes running, and
lometimes leaping, like a grafhopper almoft, then {landing dill, and
fetting itfelf on its hinder legs, it w ill very nimbly turn its body and
look round itfelf every way : It had fix very confpicuous eyes, two
looking dire&ly forwards, plac’d jud before; two other on either fide
o f thofe, looking forward and fide-ways 5 and two other about the
middLe o f the top o f its back or head, which look backwards and fide-
wards; thothefe feem’d to b e b ig g e d . The furface o f them all was1
very black , fpherical-, purely poliih’d, reflecting a very clear and dif-
tinft image o f all the ambient objects, fitch as a window, a man’s
hand, a white paper, or the like.. Some other properties o f this Spider,
obferv’d by the mod accomplifh’d Mr. Evelyn, in-his travels in Italy,
are mod emphatically fet forth in the hidory hereunto annexed, which
he was pleas’d, upon my defire, to fend me in writing.
O f
« O f all forts o f infects, there is none has afforded me more
“ divertifement than the vemtores, which are a fort o f lupi, that have
“ their dens in the rugged walls, and crevices o f our houfes; a Imall’
“ brown and delicately fpoted kind o f Spiders, whofe hinder legs are
“ longer than the red.
“ S u ch I did frequently obferve at Rome, which efpying a fly atr
“ three or four yards didance, upon the balcony (where I d o o d )
“ would not make dire&ly to her, but crawl under the rail, till being.
If arriv’d to the antipodes, it would deal up, feldom.miffing its aim ;
“ but i f it chanced to want any thing o f being perfectly oppofite-
* would, at fird peep, immediately Aide down again, till taking,
j| better notice, it would come the next time exadlly upon the fly’s-
“ back : but, i f this happen’d not to be within a competent leap, then
“ would this infeed move fo {oftly, as the very {hadow o f the gn©-
“ mon feem’d. not to be more imperceptible, unlefs the fly mov’d ;
“ and then would the Spider move alfe in the feme proportion, keep“
“ ing that jud time with her motion, as i f the feme foul had animated
c‘ both thofe little bodies; and whether it were forwards, Backwards,
“ or to either fide, without at all turning her body, like a well man-
** aged horfe : but i f the capricious fly took wing and pitch’d upon
another place behind our huntrefs, then would' the Spider; whirle its-'
“ body fe nimbly about, as nothing could be imagin’d more fwift.
“ by which means, {he always kept the head towards her prey,/
<£ though to appearance, as immovable, as i f it had Been a nail driven
“ into the wood, till by that indifcernible progrefs (being arriv’d with—'
“ in the fphere o f her reach) {he made a fatal leap (fwift as lightning)
c‘ upon the fly, catching him in the pole, where- {he never quitted:
“ hold