158 THE COMMON SPIDERS 



While the temporary spirals are made as far apart as possible, 

 the threads of the outer spiral are placed as close together as 

 they can be without danger of their sticking to each other, 

 and usually a little closer together toward the center of the 

 web than they are at the outside. In fastening this thread to 

 the rays of the web the spider first feels for the last thread 

 with the first and second feet, and, having found it, turns the 

 body slightly around and grasps the ray with the nearest foot 

 of the fourth pair at a short distance from the point where the 

 last thread crosses. After taking hold of the ray with the 

 fourth foot, the spider turns down the abdomen so as to place 

 the spinnerets against the ray and fastens the thread to it, at 

 the same time holding the thread off with the other fourth foot 

 to prevent its sticking to anything around it. The whole 

 making of the web seems to be done entirely by feeling and 

 is done as well in the dark as in daylight. 



When the spider is active and the food supply good, a 

 fresh web is made every day, the old one being torn down and 

 thrown away. In tearing down a web (fig. 382) the spider 

 walks out from the center on one of the rays and gathers in 

 what web he can reach with the front feet, chews it into a 

 ball, and drops it ; then, having put in new rays in the 

 cleared space, he goes to another part of the web and tears 

 down another piece. 



The variations between the webs of different species are 

 chiefly in the central portion. In the webs of hortorum 

 (p. 191), gibberosa (p. 177), and placida (p. 178), which spend 

 most of their time in the web, the close part of the inner spiral 

 is very large, circular, and finely finished, usually showing no 

 trace of the wide temporary spirals. The number of rays is 

 very large, and there is a wide clear space between the inner 

 and outer spirals. In Argiope the inner spiral is very large 

 and widens gradually until it almost touches the outer spiral. 



