38 



THE STUDY OF INSECTS. 



FIG. 43. Foot of Epcira. 



The orb weavers (Family 

 Epeiridce] are usually plump 

 spiders, the abdomen being 

 large, and often nearly spher- 

 ical. The space between the 

 eyes and front edge of the 

 head is less than the region 



/-r^- \ 



occupied by the eyes (Fig. 42). 

 The eyes are arranged in two rows. The front legs are 

 longer than the others. The feet have three claws (Fig. 43), 

 and the spinnerets are all short. In some species of this 

 family the male is much smaller than the female. 



Family ULOBORID/E (U-lo-bor'i-dae). 



The Curled-thread Weavers with Regular Webs* 



The Uloborids (U-lo-bo'rids). 



We have already described the thread-curling habits of 

 the Dictynids (p. 32), and the curious organs called cribel- 

 lum and calamistrum (Fig. 44), by which these curled threads 



are made (p. 23). Similar organs and 

 a similar habit are possessed by the spi- 

 ders of the family Uloboridce. These 

 spiders, however, make webs which are 

 FlG ' 44 'H?p a tio'fes trum f regular in form. There are only two 

 genera belonging to this family in the United States ; but 

 as the webs made by these are very different, we will de- 

 scribe both. 



The Triangle Spider, Hyptiotes cavaius (Hyp-ti'o-tes ca- 

 va'tus). This spider is common all over New England and 

 the Middle States, and has been found as far to the south- 

 west as Texas. Its web is most often found stretched be- 

 tween the twigs of a dead branch of pine or spruce. At 

 first sight this web appears like a fragment of an orb web 

 (Fig. 45); but a little study will show that it is complete. 

 The accompanying figure, by Dr. Wilder, who first described 



