in] THE CIRCULAR SNARE 17 



in situations where such a mode of procedure seems 

 impossible. In a pine forest, for example, one may 

 see huge webs stretched at a great height from the 

 ground between boles ten feet apart ; or one may 

 find such a snare spread across a stream at a spot 

 where the trees on either side do not intermingle 

 their boughs. How in such cases does the spider 

 accomplish its purpose ? 



There is little doubt that, wherever practicable, 

 the spider walks round, sometimes crawling quite an 

 astounding distance, but that it can at need, resort 

 to another method, is easily proved by a very simple 

 experiment in the house. Fill any vessel a basin 

 or a bath with water and arrange an upright post 

 in the middle, placing a spider upon it. If the air in 

 the room is absolutely still the captive is powerless 

 to escape, but if draughts are present it will sooner 

 or later disappear ; and it accomplishes this feat' by 

 emitting a thread which, caught by the air-current, 

 is drawn out from its spinnerets till it by and by 

 becomes entangled in the surrounding furniture. 

 This power of emitting silk to some little distance 

 and allowing the wind to draw it out is, as we shall 

 see, frequently exercised in the early life of many 

 spiders. 



The foundation lines which may thus have given 

 the spider great trouble to secure, are of extreme 

 importance to it, and may serve for several snares in 



w. s. 2 



