98 A NATURALIST IN HIMALAYA 



Again we watch the spider at work. It has sealed 

 the end of its temporary spiral and immediately starts 

 at the first turn of its viscid spiral. Out along a 

 radius it travels with agile movements and unerring 

 skill. It takes three hurried paces, halts, applies its 

 spinnerets to the radius and secures a line. The first 

 turn of the viscid spiral has commenced. Back along 

 a radius it hastens and across the last turn of the 

 temporary spiral that now serves it as a bridge. It 

 reaches the next radius and hurries out along it. We 

 watch carefully, for this is the important point. It 

 moves out along this radius for exactly three paces. 

 It halts, applies its spinnerets, draws tight and secures 

 the line. Back again along the radius, over the next 

 bridge, out along the next radius for three paces, and 

 it again secures the line. And so on for every radius 

 till the first turn of the viscid spiral is complete. 

 Every attachment in this turn is fixed to every radius 

 exactly three paces distant from the last turn of the 

 temporary spiral. 



Again do we find that accuracy of measurement is 

 the clue to the spider's work. As the turns of the 

 temporary spiral are measured, each one from the 

 preceding turn, so is the first turn of the viscid spiral 

 measured from the last turn of the temporary spiral. 

 Similar is the principle but different is the method. 

 The interval between each turn of the temporary 

 spiral is short ; it can be measured by the body-length. 

 The viscid spiral is laid down at a greater distance ; 

 it must be measured by the number of paces, an equal 

 number at every spoke. Thus does the geometrical 

 spider measure and calculate each step in its architec- 

 ture. How human-like are these simple acts, all the 



