68 The Structure and Habits of Spiders. 



the nearest sound thread, and gathers in with 

 her front-feet as much old web as she can tear 

 off, and rolls it up with her palpi and mandibles 

 into a ball, and, when it is tight enough not to 

 stick to the web, drops it. As she walks along, 

 gathering up the old web in front, she at the 

 same time spins a new thread behind, and, 

 when she gets to a suitable place, makes it fast 

 as one of the rays of the new web. The com- 

 mon story has it, that the spider eats the old 

 web. She certainly gathers it up in her mouth, 

 and sometimes throws it away at once, but at 

 other times sits and chews it a long time, with 

 apparent pleasure. 



Most of the Epeiridce are brightly colored, 

 and make no attempt at concealment when in 

 the web. Others have odd shapes and colors, 

 and hang in the web in such positions that 

 they look like any thing but animals. Some 

 species draw up their legs against their triangu- 

 lar abdomens, and look like bits of bark fallen 

 into the web. Others are long and slender, 

 and when at rest, either in the web or out, 

 lay their legs close together before and behind 

 their bodies, so as to look like straws. Others 



