80 illustrations. Among the most numerous of the invertebrate groups, spiders offer a wealth of opportunities for orservation and study. A careful study of spiders will reveal fascinating and complex behavior patterns - making them in their own way just as rewarding as watching birds or mammals. Amateur naturalists will delight in this book, which covers such topics as physical structure and growth; silk production and web building; fangs and venom; camouflage, webs, tunnels, and traps, courtship and reproduction; and finally, self-defense. Collected from all over the world, from temperate woodlands to tropical regions and deserts, this volume offers a diverse array of spider species, fully described and brought to life in 80 full-color photographs.