THE EEASON WHY. 283 



' Go to the ant, thou sluggard ; consider her ways, and be wise. ' PHOT. VI. 



CHAPTER LVII. 



1125. Why can gossamer spiders float through the air ? 

 Because, having no wings, and being deficient in the active 



muscular powers of other spiders, they have been endowed with the 

 power of spinning a web which is so light that it floats in the 

 air, and bears the body of the gossamer spider from place to place. 

 Each web acts as a balloon, and the spider attached thereto is a 

 little aeronaut. 



1126. Why do crickets make a peculiar chirping sound ? 

 Because they have hard wing cases, by the friction of the edges 



of which they cause their peculiar noise, to make known to each 

 other where they are, in the dark crevices in which they hide. 



Fig. 74. GLOW-WORM USING HIS BETTSH. 



1127. Why has the glow-worm a brush attached to its 

 tail ? 



Because it is necessary to keep its back very clean, that the light 

 which its body emits may not be dimmed. 



1128. Why does the glow-worm emit a light ? 



Because the female glow-worm is without wings, but the male is 

 a winged insect. The female, therefore, is endowed with the power 

 of displaying a phosphorescent light. The light is only visible by 



