AMKRIf'AX SPIDERS AND TIIEIK SPINNINGWORK. 



own habits in their own way; or if he wisli, lio may deposit all those of 



one species upon certain parts of the ground, in which case they will he 



very sure to permanently colonize. In this manner the most 



a lira interesting species of an entire neighborhood or district may, in 



tlie course of a coujde of years, be so thoroughly domesticated 



u]ion a small space that observation of habits will be greatly facilitated. 



There arc many other points of i)ractical value which might be men- 

 tioned, but, as a matter of fact, the collector's experience will soon show 

 him what is the best thing to do. A few failures in capturing ])rizes 

 will teach caution, and successes will in like manner show the Ix-st way 

 of ])rocedure. Caution is always necessary. While looking for s{)iders one 

 needs to move with his eyes thrown well in advance, and to be careful 

 to disturb as little as possible the bushes and surrounding shrubbery, 

 upon which the greatest prizes may be domiciled an<l may be lost by 

 careless or too rapid approach. 



In searching for spiders, one should take such a position toward the 



sun as to enable the liglit to fall upon the webs in the direction towards 



which he is moving. Frequently the head should be tin-ned to 



-, „^ , one side and lowered towards the ground in order to catch the 

 See Webs. . . . ° . 



sheen of the spinningwork hanging m secluded places, or even 



in (juite open places. A soft black hat or something that will be a good 

 substitute therefor, is a necessary part of the spider collector's outfit. 

 Placed behind a web, it brings out all its white lines clearly, and one can 

 thus study the structure with greater ease. 



As a rule the evening is the best time to observe the nctmaking 

 habits, and, indeed, many other habits of the spider fauna. Some species 

 begin to spin early in the evening, as early as four or five o'clock. 

 _. Others are rarely foinid abroad until a later hour. These actions, 



however, are always more or less conditioned by the weather. 

 During the night spiders are nearly always out upon tlieir webs, and by 

 means of a lantern one can make good collections and observations after 

 nightfall. A dewy morning is perhaps the best time of all for finding 

 webs. Provided with a stout jiair of shoes or rubber boots, one may 

 tramp through the dew laden fields of a summer morning, and find 

 myriads of webs, great and small, of all species, hanging from every part 

 of bushes, trees, grasses, weeds, and even spread in great multitudes upon 

 the fresh soil of an upturned field. At such times the Orbweavers will 

 not always be found upon their webs, at least certain species of them can- 

 not conveniently be out, but the character of the webs can thus 

 Marking j,^, readily perceived, and the habitat of the spider known. Little 

 ,. bits of paper should be carried in the satchel, and they may be 



fastened upon twigs in the neighborhood of the webs which thus 

 are well located. A little slit in tlie centre of the patch of jiaper, thrust 

 over a forked twig, will stay for many days, and will at oiiee mark the 



