Arachnida. 59 



It is said that these gossamer webs are a sign of fair 

 weather ; so these little creatures seem to have forerun 

 mankind in forecasting the weather as well as in aerial 

 navigation. 



Some spiders construct funnel-shaped webs, and remain 

 concealed at the small end of the funnel, ready to rush out 

 when their delicate sense of touch informs them that some- 

 thing is shaking the web, as when an insect is caught. 

 Gently disturb such a web, and see the occupant dart forth. 



Another use of the web, and almost the only use in some 

 spiders, is as an envelope for the eggs. The web forms a 

 silky but tough covering, usually deposited in some place 

 of safe-keeping, but rarely carried by the mother. There 



FIG. 43. SPIDER, WITH COCOON ATTACHED TO SPINNERETS. 



are many eggs in one such case, and when hatched 

 the little spiders sometimes become cannibals, each eating 

 as many as it can of its brothers and sisters. 



Kinds of Spiders. There are many kinds of spiders ; 

 among the largest is the tarantula ; the bite of this and of 

 some other large spiders is very painful to man, but most 

 of the stories told of spider bites are gross exaggerations. 

 The trapdoor spider is an interesting form ; it lives in a 

 hole in the ground, lines its hole with web, and makes a 

 lid which it hinges with the web. One spider lives under 

 water, forming an arched web, under which it stays, carry- 

 ing down bubbles of air which are introduced beneath 

 the web. 



