NATURE'S CRAFTSMEN 



enemies, the wasps and birds, have settled to sleep. By 

 morning they have disappeared. Where have they gone ? 



Once while on a summer fishing trip on the St. Law- 

 rence River, the skipper of the yacht noticed me looking 

 at the orbwebs that festooned many parts of the boat, 

 and thought an apology therefor was due. 



"I try to keep a tidy boat, sir," he said, "and I clean 

 out those spider-webs religiously every day, and day 

 after day. But next morning there they are, as many 

 as ever. It's a marvel to me, sir, how they get there! 

 They seem to drop from the sky." 



I took the puzzled skipper a little journey around the 

 yacht, and in the angles and corners and concavities of 

 cornices and mouldings and headings, and in other shel- 

 tered spots, showed him numbers of spiders snuggled 

 away in tough silken tubes and tents, deftly hidden and 

 safe from the beating of rains and the splashing of boat- 

 men's hose and mop. Thereat the captain's wonder 

 was turned into another channel. And when I assured 

 him that these stowaways were harmless, and, indeed, 

 helpful friends in that they waged war upon flies and 

 mosquitoes, he vowed that thenceforth they should ride 

 secure, especially as the cleaning away of the webs 

 seemed to do "the critters" no harm! 



Yet even in such hiding-places their enemies will find 

 them; for the conflict between defensive and offensive 

 instincts tends to develop skill on both sides. But the 

 secretive habit that has been nurtured by the sense of 

 danger stands them in good stead. 



Turning to the fields and other haunts of orbweavers, 

 one will occasionally, sometimes often, find by day the 

 araneads upon their snares, especially before and after 

 the season of highest maternal activity among wasps. 



222 



