154 



AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



in all orbweaving species which make a composite web, either habitually 

 or occasionally, the mass of crossed lines is separated by a little space from 

 the orbicular part of the snare. This is the case with the protective wings 

 of Argiope, which are always so placed as to leave free action for the 

 spider as she moves back and forward between the orb and the retitelarian 

 lines on either side. 



Epeira gibberosa, the Hunchback spider, closely resembles Hortorum in 

 the sites selected for her snare. Like Hortorum the species is probably dis- 

 tributed throughout the entire United States. I have collected it 



., , in Florida, in the border and Middle States, and in New England, 



gibberosa ' ' & > 



and have specimens from Wisconsin, but none further to the 

 west or northwest. Its snare rarely diverges from the horizontal plane, and 

 is like the Orchard spider''s in every respect, except that I have never found 



it with the apron or 

 crossed lines. Instead 

 spider has the habit 

 a netted hammock of 

 leaves of the plant up 

 orb is spun. (Fig. 

 is sometimes woven 

 edges of one leaf, as 

 in the chapter upon 

 derneath this liam 

 hangs back downward, 

 which is attached, at 

 the central part of her 

 her habit is related to 

 and Insular spiders 

 group. 



Fig. 145. The hammock nest of the 

 Hunchback spider. 



protecting maze of 

 of this, however, the 

 of making for herself 

 lines stretched between 

 on or near which her 

 145.) This hammock 

 between the pulled up 

 may be seen figured 

 Nesting Habits. Un- 

 mock the Hunchback 

 holding to a tra})line 

 the opposite end, to 

 snare. In this respect 

 that of the Shamrock 

 and others of that 



Sometimes she forsakes this position and hangs like Hortorum 



underneath her orb, and sometimes I have found her thereon 



, without any such associated hammock nest. Gibberosa aiipears 



mock. ... 



to be less timid in disposition than Hortorum. At least, when 



touched by my pencil, the Orchard spider would invariably swing away 



from her position or crawl off to the outlying foundation lines. The 



Hunchback, on the contrary, instead of forsaking her position, would only 



turn around, shake her body, or jerk her trapline in a nervous manner. 



Gibberosa lacks tlie bright silver markings of Hortorum, but keeps the 



general green hue of legs and body, the color, liowever, being somewhat 



darker. 



II. 



The gcmis Tetragnatha furnishes some of the most familiar and inter- 

 esting species of spiders making a horizontal snaro. Our two most common 

 species in the Eastern United States, and probably thiuughout the whole 



