210 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



extremity to the centre of the orb, and at the otlier to a cavity in the 

 rocks, D, at wliich the aranead had her den. The line CC undoubtedly 

 served as a trajiline and a sort of bridge along which the sjnder moved 

 from her snare to her nest. But its general appearance and structure sug- 

 gested the idea that it was braced by the line BB, and acted as a stay to 

 the orb itself. 



I was inclined to think that this peculiar sj)inningwork showed an 

 effort of the spider to brace a snare peculiarly exposed to winds. It may 

 be, however, that the line B was an abandoned foundation line, or was one 

 of those tentative threads which spiders are often spinning, and that its 

 connection with the trapline was either an accident or afterthought. Per- 

 haps, indeed, it might have been intended to increase the communicating 

 power of the trapline. 



The fact is, one is very apt, by an unconscious anthropomorphism, to 



attribute to the humblest creatures of the fields methods of reasoning and 



principles of action which have no existence in the inferior ani- 



Anthro- ^lals, and are simply the reflections of a higher intellect upon 



pomorp - ^j^^ works of a lower one. The naturalist must continually be 



ism ... , 



on his guard against thus attributing to the creatures whose 

 habits he is studying methods which in like circumstances would have 

 been suggested to his own mind. 



An illustration of this is quite in point. I have at various times met 

 suggestions that especial engineering skill is shown by spiders in protect- 

 ing their snares from the effects of wind or other violence of the natural 

 elements, by the use of sundry objects as counterpoises. Although I had 

 little faith in the theory, it seemed to me entitled to careful examination. 



Once while walking along a graveled path bordered on either side by 

 shrubbery, I saw what exactly corresponded with rejjorts of so called en- 

 gineering spinningwork. A large orbweb blocked the entire pathway be- 

 fore me. The foundation lines were strung across the walk and supported 

 upon the bordering shrubbery, but a large pebble hung to the bottom of 

 the web. It was nearly two inches above the surface of the ground, and 

 my first thought was, here now is a case that confirms the opin- 

 A Case of j^jj ^j^.^i spiders support their orbicular snares with weights in 



order to balance them against the wind ! Kneeling ui)on the 

 poise. *' . , 



ground, I made a careful survey of the premises, and came to 



the conclusion that there was no special intention in the case at all, but 



that the uplifting of the pebble was a matter of accident. The spider had 



run down her supporting lines to the ground, as is her invariable custom 



when spinning in a similar site ; but, not having a tuft of grass or like 



material whereon to fasten the lines, she stuck them upon one of the 



pebbles scattered over the walk beneath. 



Now the pebble lay but loosely in its artificial matrix, and when the 



wind rose and pla}'e<l upon the orbweb, bellying it .somewhat, and when 



