THE TRIANGLE SPIDER : THE ORB SECTOR. 193 



rare, although the females are pretty common dui-ing the summer months. 



Mrs. Treat found the males of our Triangle spider at home with the 



females during two seasons. They were not in webs of their 



T\/r 1 ^-1 



own, but always in the upper corners of the nets of females 

 where the foundation lines are fastened to the trees. They were thus 

 opposite their mates, who were waiting beyond the apex, and apparently 

 were watching all their movements with great interest. This is the custom 

 with males of most Orbweavers during the pairing season. It is a mis- 

 take, however, to suppose that the males do not spin snares. I have fre- 

 quently found them upon webs of the same construction and operated 

 in the same way as those of females. At one time, I found in a fir tree 

 a group of ten males, with their snares spun close together. 



A curious behavior was noticed in a Triangle spider observed in a pine 

 wood in the Allegheny Mountains. Numbers of snares were there found 

 on hemlock trunks and dead standing saplings. I cut the trap- 

 Muscular jj^^g ^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^j^^^gg ^^.^l^g ^^ ggg Ylo^v it would affect the spider. 



^^^ ^ ^' She was hanging at the time with her hind legs quite near the 

 trunk of a tree. Instead of dropping downward when the support of the 

 fore part of her body was broken, she simply settled backward a little so 

 that the end of her abdomen rested against the tree. In this position her 

 body extended straight out from the trunk in a line at right angles thereto. 

 The fore legs were slightly bent and held but a remnant 

 of the trapline, which was greatly ruffled in the man- 

 ner of a taut string when suddenl}' untwisted. Both 

 pairs of hind legs in the meantime were holding tightly 

 to two short cords, one in each i)air of claws, which were 

 attached to the tree by little conical clusters of threads 

 firmly glued to the bark. The spider in this attitude fh;. ise. Muscular rigid- 

 presented an odd figure, the like of which I have never "^ °^ Hypnotes. 

 - observed in any other species. (See Fig. 180.) Her body was perfectly rigid, 

 although tluTC was nothing to maintain it in })Osition except the bracing 

 which resulted from the hoM ujxjn the lines above described. 1 watched 

 her for a long time, and she showed no signs of wearying or relaxing her 

 attitude. 



The amount of muscular vigor displayed by the spider in maintaining 

 this position must have been very great, but certainly not greater than re- 

 quired to preserve the attitude which she assumes when holding her snare 

 ready for prey. This attitude she will maintain, without the slightest ap- 

 pearance of muscular tremor or weariness, for a k)ng period of time. I 

 have never had patience to see how long she would thus hold out if not 

 interrui)ted by insects striking lier snare; but I can readily believe that her 

 patience will endure not only for a day but probably for more than a day. 

 We thus have a tolerably full natural history of this interesting species. 

 There are few animals whose habits better rei)ay the student ; but one who 



