The Life of Spiders 



On photographing spiders. — It is exceedingly difficult to 

 induce living spiders to pose for their photographs. Sometimes, 

 in the case of large species, where it is not necessary to approach 

 the camera too closely to the spider, a good photograph can be 

 obtained of one in its natural attitude, and I have taken photo- 

 graphs of running spiders by enclosing them in a plate glass box 

 and photographing through one side of the box. As a rule, how- 

 ever, it is necessary to kill a spider before a satisfactory photo- 

 graph can be made of it. 



The specimen should be killed in a cyanide bottle, and then 

 either posed dry on a piece of cardboard or placed in a porcelain 

 dish of alcohol and photographed with a vertical camera. This 

 must be done promptly while the legs and palpi are flexible and 

 before they become curled up. Sometimes, in the case of brightly 

 marked species, better results are obtained if a colour screen 

 is used. 



On photographing spider wehs. — If one wishes to take photo- 

 graphs of spider webs, special preparations should be made for 

 it. Photographs of webs taken in the field are seldom satis- 

 factory. Only rarely can a web be found in a suitable position 

 as regards lighting and background, and in a satisfactory state 

 of preservation. 



When possible, the spider whose web it is desired to photo- 

 graph, should be induced to build a web where it cannot be in- 

 jured by wind or insects and where the nature of the lighting and 

 of the background can be controlled. Many of the pictures in 

 this volume are from photographs of "made to order" webs. 



These webs were made in the glass house of our insectary, 

 which resembles an ordinary greenhouse. Any room suitable 

 for photographic work would serve for this purpose. 



The most easily obtained webs were those of spiders that 

 build upon shrubs or trees. Having found such a web in the 

 field, the branch upon which it was built was carefully cut and 

 carried, with the spider and web upon it, into the insectary and 

 firmly fixed into the earth in a large flower pot. This permitted 

 the moving of the branch without disturbing the web, when it 

 was desired to pose it for a photograph. 



If the spider was not unduly disturbed it remained on its web 

 in the new situation, and in most cases repaired the web during 

 the first or second night following. Usually the outer framework 



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