CHAPTER IV. 

 ARACHNIDA AND MYRIAPODA. 



STUDY OF LIVE SPIDERS. 



Spiders and Spider Webs. Find a spider at home near you, where 

 you can conveniently watch it for some time each day. What is 

 the shape of the web? Do all spiders make the same kind of a 

 web? Does the same spider always make a web in the same way? 

 How is the web situated? Does the spider stay on the web? If 

 so, on what part of it ? What reason for this position ? If you 

 cannot find a spider beginning a new web, destroy a web and 

 watch to see if a new one is begun soon. Does the spider take 

 the same place for the new web? How does it begin the work? 

 Is every part kept as first made, or is any part comparable to 

 the scaffolding erected by the carpenter? Do spiders repair 

 broken places in webs? If so, how is this done? How is food 

 secured? Watch the whole process of capturing and eating food. 

 Does the capturing of the food injure the web? Are spiders 

 equally active at all times ? Visit a spider in the evening and see 

 if it is awake, and " ready for business " ? Are spiders affected by 

 cold? Do they like sunshine? Do they live over winter ? What 

 can you learn about the development of spiders? Why are there 

 sometimes so many spider webs floating in the air? What relation 

 have these floating webs to the weather ? Are these floating webs 

 of any use to spiders? How are they set afloat, and what keeps 

 them afloat ? Can you discover the beginning of such work ? How 

 and where do spiders lay their eggs? Watch the development of 

 the eggs. 



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