266 



AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



At other times, much to my surprise, after {he thread had been quite lost 

 to view, the spider was supposed to be far away upon its flight, it would 

 descend as from the clouds, and send out its silken grapnels against the 

 cheek or nose. The will of the little spider seemed to have no control 

 over these movements, which apparently were always wholly at the mercy 

 of the wind. However, the manner of accomplishing aerial flight by 

 means of the buoyancy of a single thread, or rather of two threads united 

 at or near the middle, was quite in accord with the methods above de- 

 scribed. 



V. 



While the young balloonists were adventuring their flight in the tields 

 in the manner heretofore described, several species of small Orb weavers were 



making or waiting for their 

 ascension in a manner so dif- 

 ferent that it recpiires espe- 

 cial notice. These were sta- 

 tioned upon the small grass- 

 es and weeds, from which 

 innumerable cords of spider 

 silk were .streaming, and up- 

 on which similar threads 

 were twisted and meshed by 

 the eddies of the wind and 

 the passing of the spider- 

 lings from point to point. 

 The attitude of most of 

 these was one of expecta- 

 tion. Only two were ob- 

 served in actual flight, and 

 one of these I assisted. The 

 nearness to the ground and 

 the shelter of surrounding 

 herbage doubtless retarded 

 the process. However, this 

 greater deliberateness is quite 

 in harmony with the more 

 phlegmatic Orbweavers, just as the energy of the Lycosids in mounting the 

 fence and their haste to be off are characteristic of that group. 

 The little Orbweavers were hanging upon the lower part of the 

 floating strings near the point of attachment to the grass. Their 

 backs were downward and their heads outward, or toward the free 

 end of the thread. (Fig. 276.) The first, second, and fourth jiairs 

 of legs were stretched along the thread, and the third and shortest pair 



Fig. 277. Aeronautic Orbweavers preparing to ascend from 

 floating threads. 



Varia- 

 tions : 

 Orb- 

 ■weavers 



