WEAVERS OP ROUND WEBS. 



125 



How shall we reconcile or explain these strange unities and diversities? 

 It might be said, in view of the numerous observations made by Mrs. 

 Eigenmann in California, that my own description of the Texas species, 

 which was based upon observation of a single web, was that of an abnor- 

 mal act, a freak, an accident, an individual peculiarity. When, however, 

 we see spiders of the same genus, so widely separated in their habitat, 

 presenting in both America and Africa on tlie one hand the same curious 

 habit of web decoration, and on the other the same adherence to the nor- 



FiG. 111. The orb of Acrosoma rugosa. The outline of the entire frame is shown at the right. 



mal type of snare, it seems impossible to account for the web observed by 

 me on the ground of a freak or individual peculiarity. At i^resent I can 

 only record the facts, without venturing to suggest a theory to explain 

 them. I am not even ablfe to say what difFerences, if any, may exist be- 

 tween the species which spin the several webs. The difference is certainly 

 not very great. A future observer will doubtless find a simple explanation 

 of the phenomenon ; and whatever it may be it will jirobably be found 

 similar to that which causes individuals of Argiope and Acrosoma to twist 

 and string ribbon decorations around the central parts of their orbs. 



