May, 1920] Studies i?i Food of Spiders 237 



web a little while before sunset and finishes it before dark or 

 a little after. 



All of the individuals of this species observed made a 

 retreat above the web by drawing together several leaves. 

 A trap line extends from the retreat down which the spider goes 

 very quickly if an insect falls into the web. Epeira domiciliorum 

 remains in its retreat in the daytime, but at the approach 

 of darkness it descends the trap line and stations itself in the 

 hub of the web. Smaller individuals can be lured from the 

 retreat in the daytime by casting an insect into the web, but 

 I have never been able to get a full grown spider to come out 

 of his hiding place in the daytime. 



When an insect is captured, it is carried up the trap line to 

 the retreat, where the juices are sucked out and the chitinous 

 parts are discarded. 



Epeira foliata Koch. 



Epeira foliata is a spider which is comraon and is found 

 around houses, barns and fences. 



It is more abundant around houses than barns or fences. 

 I have found a few specimens in a deep woods and on weeds, 

 but they were by far the most abundant on houses. 



The web is of the complete orb type and is made after night. 

 A trap line sometimes extends from the web to a retreat, but 

 this is not always the case. When the web is made on a house, 

 there is no retreat constructed. A crevice under the siding is 

 usually utilized for that purpose. The younger spiders con- 

 struct their webs most anywhere on the house, but the larger 

 ones prefer a situation near the water spouting, near a window 

 or a corner of the house, where they can find a place to remain 

 in hiding during the daytime. The larger spiders never come 

 from their retreats during the daytime, the smaller ones will 

 sometimes do so, but very seldom. As soon as evening comes 

 the spiders come forth from their places of hiding and station 

 themselves on the center of the hub. Insects often become 

 entangled in the webs during the daytime and the spider feeds 

 upon them when evening comes. Many house flies become 

 entangled in the morning and evening, when this spider is 

 feeding. I have seen a cuckoo fly, Chrysis parvula, hunting 

 for a place to deposit her eggs become entangled in this spider's 

 web. She was unable to extricate herself and in the evening 



