34 SPIDERS [CH. 



the remarkable protuberances or turrets which rise 

 from their heads and bear their eyes as on a watch 

 tower. 



These spiders are clearly not "out" for icod ; 

 they have left their ordinary beat for quite another 

 purpose, and we shall probably not have to wait long 

 before discovering it. Some one of the group ceases 

 its apparently purposeless wandering, and, turning its 

 head in the direction of what slight wind there is, 

 raises its fore-body to the full extent of its straightened 

 legs, and elevates its abdomen to the utmost. Now 

 watch closely using a handglass if you have one and 

 you will see streamers of silk proceeding from its 

 spinnerets. They are shot out for a short distance 

 and then the air current draws them out further till 

 they often extend for several feet, though their 

 extreme fineness makes it almost impossible to form 

 an accurate judgment of their length. Meanwhile 

 the spider has not merely been standing on its 

 "toes," -it has been firmly gripping the silken lines 

 on the railings with its claws. Soon it feels the pull 

 of the streaming threads, and when the tension is 

 sufficient it lets go with all its claws simultaneously, 

 vaults into the air and sails away. Sometimes a start 



/ 



is made prematurely and the insufficient buoyancy of 

 the streamers causes the spider to descend almost at 

 once, and a IICAV start is made. 



This, then, is the habitual method by which new 



