68 



AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



brunching twigs. As with the forinor individual, so with this ; many efforts 

 were made to obtain foundations by sending out threads from the spinner- 

 ets, and to this end he tried most of the numerous points of the twigs cov- 

 ering the territory which he seemed to have chosen as his general range. 



One of these, a little pendant, which hung in the centre of the group, 

 was taken as the basis of a most interesting operation. The spider dropped 

 from the pendant by a line three or four inches long, grasped the 

 winging- Y^^^^ i^y ^^^^ ^£ ^j^g second pair of feet, and rapidly formed a tri- 

 angular basket of threads by connecting the point of seizure with 

 lines reaching to the feet of the remaining second leg and the third and 

 fourth pairs. (See Fig. 64.) In this basket he hung head upward, the 

 body held at an angle of about 45°, the two fore feet meanwhile stretched 

 out, and groping in the air, as though feeling for the presence of obstruc- 

 tions, of enemies, or of floating threads. At the same time he elevated his 



spinners and emitted a line wdiich was drawn out 

 at great length by the air, but secured no en- 

 tanglement. The body of the spider had a gen- 

 tle lateral oscillation that appeared to the observer 

 to result from a voluntary twisting of the central 

 rope by the animal, Ijut may have been caused 

 by the air ; the effect was to give the output line 

 a wider swing, and much increase the chance of 

 entanglement. 



However, there was no entanglement, and the 

 spider dropped several inches further down and 

 repeated the process as described above. This was 

 repeated again and again, and when I allowed the 

 line to attach to my person the spider at once 

 proceeded to satisfy himself of the fact, and then to venture a crossing. 

 In all these actions there were evidences of an habitual mode of securing 

 transit by bridge lines. Since the first observation of this most interest- 

 ing habit I have frequently seen the construction of these "baskets" or 

 "hammocks" by adults of various species, and for a similar purpose by 

 baby spiderlings reared indoors and colonized. 



I had supposed, for several years, that the observation and record of 

 this use of a swinging basket was original with myself, until one day read- 

 ing Master Jonathan Edwards' description of flying spiders. I 

 servat^on ^'^^ surprised tliere to note that this remarkable character, when 

 Antici- ^-^"^ ^ child, liad probably anticipated me by one hundred and 

 pated. sixty years. I quote his language, and reproduce his rude fig- 

 ures, which while perhaps leaving the matter in doubt to the 

 ordinary reader, will doubtless satisfy an arachnologist that the nimble- 

 witted lad really saw tliis iiitci-esting lialdt: " I liave been so hapi)y as very 

 frequently to see their manner of woi-king; that when a si)ider would go 



Fig. 64. The swinging baslcet used 

 in issuing trial cables. 



