182 SPIDER'S FOOT 



indeed, and all contained within very limited 

 dimensions ! This is another instance of 

 modern science anticipated by one of Nature's 

 tiny creatures. 



Spiders not only have done this, but they also 

 aid science very materially owing to the extreme 

 fineness of their silken threads. The astrono- 

 mer encourages the spider for the sake of its 

 web, the strands of which are finer than any 

 other substance he has access to, and are used 

 for micrometer lines in the eye-pieces of his 

 telescopes. 



The Garden Spider displays great ingenuity in 

 the protection of its web on windy days. The 

 writer's attention was drawn one stormy day to 

 a large web at the end of the garden. It was 

 stretched from a cabbage to the paling ; it was 

 a frail-looking structure, and apparently was not 

 strong enough to last long in such weather. 

 Still, it withstood the storm, and this is where 

 the spider's instinct rose to the occasion. A 

 long thread of silk depended from the centre 

 of the web and hung down a considerable 

 distance below. To the end of this thread was 



