The Life of the Spider 



priving the beast of all power of movement, 

 she went up to it and turned her corpulent 

 victim as she would have done with a medium- 

 sized Moth. 



But with the Praying Mantis, sticking out 

 her long legs and her spreading wings, rotation 

 is no longer feasible. Then, until the quarry 

 is thoroughly subdued, the spray of bandages 

 goes on continuously, even to the point of dry- 

 ing up the silk-glands. A capture of this kind 

 is ruinous. It is true that, except when I in- 

 terfered, I have never seen the Spider tackle 

 that formidable provender. 



Be it feeble or strong, the game is now 

 neatly trussed, by one of the two methods. 

 The next move never varies. The bound in- 

 sect is bitten, without persistency and without 

 any wound that shows. The Spider next 

 retires and allows the bite to act, which it soon 

 does. She then returns. 



If the victim be small, a Clothes-moth, for 

 instance, it is consumed on the spot, at the 

 place where it was captured. But, for a prize 

 of some importance, on which she hopes to 

 feast for many an hour, sometimes for many a 

 day, the Spider needs a sequestered dining- 

 room, where there is naught to fear from the 



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