The hunting Spider is a small grey Spider, prettily bespeck’d with black spots all over its body, which the Microscope discovers to be a kind of feathers like those on Butterflies wings, or the body of the white Moth I lately describ’d.  Its gate is very nimble by fits, sometimes running, and sometimes leaping, like a Grashopper almost, then standing still, and setting it self on its hinder leggs, it will very nimbly turn its body, and look round it self every way:  It has six very conspicuous eyes, two looking directly forwards, plac’d just before; two other, on either side of those, looking forward and side-ways; and two other about the middle of the top of its back or head, which look backwards and side-wards; these seem’d to be the biggest.  The surface of them all was very black, sphaerical, purely polish’d, reflecting a very cleer and distinct Image of all the ambient objects, such as a window, a man’s hand, a white Paper, or the like.  Some other properties of this Spider, observ’d by the most accomplish’d Mr. Evelyn, in his travels in Italy, are most emphatically set forth in the History hereunto annexed, which he was pleas’d upon my desire to send me in writing.

Of all the sorts of Insects, there is none has afforded me more divertisements then the Venatores, which are a sort of Lupi, that have their Denns in the rugged walls, and crevices of our houses; a small brown and delicately spotted kind of Spiders, whose hinder leggs are longer then the rest.

Such I did frequently observe at Rome, which espying a Fly at three or four yards distance, upon the Balcony (where I stood) would not make directly to her, but craul under the Rail, till being arriv’d to the Antipodes, it would steal up, seldom missing its aim; but if it chanced to want any thing of being perfectly opposite, would at first peep, immediatly slide down again, till taking better notice, it would come the next time exactly upon the Fly’s back:  But, if this hapn’d not to be within a competent leap, then would this Insect move so softly, as the very shadow of the Gnomon seem’d not to be more imperceptible, unless the Fly mov’d; and then would the Spider move also in the same proportion, keeping that just time with her motion, as if the same Soul had animated both those little bodies; and whether it were forwards, backwards, or to either side, without at all turning her body, like a well mannag’d Horse:  But, if the capricious Fly took wing, and pitch’d upon another place behind our Huntress, then would the Spider whirle its body so nimbly about, as nothing could be imagin’d more swift; by which means, she always kept the head towards her prey, though to appearance, as immovable, as if it had been a Nail driven into the Wood, till by that indiscernable progress (being arriv’d within the sphere of her reach) she made a fatal leap (swift as Lightning) upon the Fly, catching him in the pole, where she never quitted hold till