Other Invertebrate- Animal Study 



477 



funnel web. 



Photo by J. H. Comstock 



THE FUNNEL WEB 



Teacher's Story 



"And dew-bright webs festoon the grass 

 In roadside fields at morning." 



ELIZABETH AKERS. 



Sometimes on a dewy morning, a field will seem carpeted with these 

 webs, each with its opening stretched wide, and each with its narrow 

 hallway of retreat. The general shape of the web is like that of a broad 

 funnel with a tube leading down at one side. This tube is used as a 

 hiding place for the spider, which thus escapes the eyes of its enemies, and 

 also keeps out of sight of any insects that might be frightened at seeing it, 

 and so avoid the web. But the tube is no cul-de-sac; quite to the con- 

 trary, it has a rear exit, through which the spider, if frightened, escapes 

 from attack. 



The web is formed of many lines of silk crossing each other irregularly, 

 forming a firm sheet. This sheet is held in place by many guy lines, 

 which fasten it to surrounding objects. If the web is touched lightly, the 

 spider rushes forth from its lair to seize its prey; but if the web be jarred 

 roughly, the spider speeds out through its back door and can be found 

 only with difficulty. The smaller insects of the field, such as flies and 

 bugs, are the chief food of this spider; it rarely attempts to seize a grown 

 grasshopper. 



