If we are in luck, we soon descry a _Salticus_ showing up boldly against the black surface of the fence, and to set ourselves to watch its antics attentively. One thing strikes us at once; it is quite at home on a perpendicular surface—nay, on the under side of a horizontal beam, for that matter. Now a garden-spider would have great difficulty in maintaining itself in such a position unless well supplied with silken lines to which to cling; evidently there is some difference in the structure of the feet of these spiders which may be worth investigating later on. Also we notice some odd tricks of movement in the jumping spider; a curious way of exploring the surface on which it is working by a succession of short runs alternately with periods of absolute stillness as though on the _qui vive_; a noticeable freedom of movement between the fore- and the hind-bodies so that its battery of eyes may be directed to this side or that; sometimes an elevation of fore part as though for the purpose of obtaining a wider view. We may have to wait long before we see it successful in the chase. It will often patiently explore a large area, testing the surface with its palps as it goes, without any obvious reward. It conscientiously searches all depressions and crannies, and, sometimes remains in them for a considerable time—perhaps to devour some minute creature which did not call into play its special methods of attack. At last it sights a small insect which has alighted on the fence a few inches away; we see it turn its head in that direction and remain motionless. Soon it begins to edge nearer in a stealthy manner, striving to approach its prey from behind, till, with a sudden spring, it pounces on its back. Not always is the spring successful; often the insect sees its peril at the last moment and takes to wing. But in this case, how does the spider avoid a fall? We see, what we had not noticed before, that it is anchored to the fence by a silken line; indeed all the time it has been hunting it has been trailing behind it an exceedingly fine thread of silk which it has attached at frequent intervals to the fence, so that it can check its fall at will in the case of accident. At the right angle, we may see the delicate filaments glistening in the sun over the surface of its explorations. The garden-spider entangles its prey in a web, the wolf-spider runs it down by sheer strength and speed, but the jumping spider stalks it like a Red Indian.