The Life of the Spider 



the Epeirae, preferably to those of the Silky 

 Epeira and the Banded Epeira, so plentiful in 

 the autumn, in my part of the country, and 

 so remarkable for their bulk. We shall first 

 observe that the radii are equally spaced; the 

 angles formed by each consecutive pair are of 

 perceptibly equal value; and this in spite of 

 their number, which in the case of the Silky 

 Epeira exceeds two score. We know by what 

 strange means the Spider attains her ends and 

 divides the area wherein the web is to be 

 warped into a large number of equal sectors, 

 a number which is almost invariable in the 

 work of each species. An operation without 

 method, governed, one might imagine, by an 

 irresponsible whim, results in a beautiful rose- 

 window worthy of our compasses. 



We shall also notice that, in each sector, 

 the various chords, the elements of the spiral 

 windings, are parallel to one another and 

 gradually draw closer together as they near 

 the centre. With the two radiating lines that 

 frame them they form obtuse angles on one 

 side and acute angles on the other; and these 

 angles remain constant in the same sector, 

 because the chords are parallel. 



There is more than this : these same angles, 



384 



