in] THE CIRCULAR SNARE 



most remarkable achievements in the way of spinning 

 -the familiar circular snare or wheel-web of the 

 garden spider. 



CHAPTER III 



THE CIRCULAR SNARE 



SELECT the most perfect circular snare at hand, 

 and examine it attentively. In the autumn, when the 

 large garden-spider, Epeira diademata (fig. 2 A), is 

 mature, it will probably be easy to find such a snare 

 a foot or more in diameter. It is stretched within an 

 irregular frame of foundation lines of extra thickness 

 and strength, and consists of a large number of radii 

 or spokes connected by what appear to be a series 

 of concentric circles, in reality a continuous spiral, 

 like the hair-spring of a watch. The central portion 

 is different from the rest of the wheel. Probably in 

 the very centre there is a vacant space and round 

 this a hub, consisting of a spiral line different in 

 appearance from that of the main spiral. It does 

 not leave a radius exactly at the point where it 

 trikes it, and the rather zig-zag effect has caused 

 it to be known as the "notched zone." Touch the 

 web and it adheres to the finger, but all its lines are 

 not adhesive. Test this with some fine-pointed 



