NATURE'S CRAFTSMEN 



tucked therein, can hardly fail to suggest the needle- 

 work cradle that the Indian mother makes for her 

 infant, which she is wont, like the bird, to hang upon 

 a tree, perhaps for the same reason. For all practical 



A TAILOR BIRD AND ITS NEST 



uses, at least, the tailor bird and the tailor woman have 

 wrought to the same end by similar methods. 



The tents of many spiders are fair examples of the 

 tailoring art. Like the tailor bird the children of 

 Arachne find their material close at hand, ready made 

 in the loom of nature. The manner in which they 

 manipulate the leaves of bushes and trees, blades of 

 grass, and stems of divers plants is highly creditable to 

 their skill. One of our most expert aranead tent-makers 

 is the handsome orbweaver known as the Trifoil spider 

 (Epeira trifolium). Let us note the method of a worker 

 of this species. 



Here is a large oak-leaf swinging just above and to 



200 



