SPIDERS 111 



this matter congeals, hardens, and becomes a thread 

 on which water has no effect. AYhen the spider 

 wants to spin, the silk liquid flows from four nip- 

 ples, called spinnerets, placed at the end of the 

 stomach. These nipples are pierced at their ex- 

 tivinity by a number of holes, like the sprinkler of 

 a watering-pot. The number of these holes for all 

 the nipples is roughly reckoned as a thousand. 

 Each one lets its tiny little jet of liquid flow, which 

 hardens and becomes thread; and from a thousand 

 threads stuck together into one results the final 

 thread employed by the spider. To designate some- 

 thing very fine there is no better term of comparison 

 than the spider's thread. It is so delicate, in fact, 

 that it can only just be seen. Our silk threads, 

 those of the finest textures, are cables in compar- 

 ison, cables of two, three, four strands, while this 

 <>ne, in its unequaled tenuity, contains a thousand. 

 Hmv many spiders' threads are required to make a 

 strand of the thickness of a hair? Not far from 

 ten. And how many elementary threads, such as 

 issue from the separate holes of the spinneret? 

 Ten thousand. To what a degree of tenuity then 

 this silky matter can be reduced that stretches out in 

 threads of which it takes ten thousand to equal the 

 >\Y.<' of one hair! What marvels, my children, and 

 only to catch a fly that is to serve for the spider's 

 dinner!" 



