M' 



CHAPTER XII 



AERONAUTIC SPIDERS 



"AN is adapted by tiature to move upon the earth's 

 surface. Yet, in fancy, he has always been an 

 aeronaut. Like the Psahnist, he has sighed, "Oh that 

 I had wings Hke a dove! for then would I fly away." 

 The author never gave a serious practical thought to 

 aeronautics, but the one dream of sleep that persisted 

 for many years is that he could fly! This is a comriion 

 experience. Such visions of the night have typified the 

 waking dreams of the race. Montgolfier, with his bal- 

 loon, made the first practical step towards their ful- 

 filment. Since his day men have puzzled over and 

 planned a dirigible balloon or air-ship. 



It is interesting and curious to find a lowly arthropod 

 a close fellow with ourselves in the above experience. 

 The spider, like man, is a terragrade. Like man, she 

 can overstep nature's bounds and move over or through 

 the water. Like man, she has invaded the air and 

 essays to fly; though, also like man, she falls short of 

 directing her mimic air-ship and, in chief at least, drifts 

 before the wind. Moreover, like man, in rare divergence 

 from the habit of lower animals, she does these things, 

 as she gets her food, by the aid of a manufactured imple- 

 ment, and not by direct use of her natural locomotoria. 

 These facts give zest to our study of "ballooning" or, 



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