CHAPTER XXVI 



THE EPEIRA'S BRIDGE 



HERE Uncle Paul caught Claire looking- at him 

 thoughtfully. It was evident that some 

 change was taking place in her mind: the spider was 

 no longer a repulsive creature, unworthy of our re- 

 gard. Uncle Paul continued : 



"With, its legs, armed with sharp-toothed little 

 claws like combs, the spider draws the thread from 

 its spinnerets as it has need. If it wishes to de- 

 scend, like the one this morning that came down 

 from the ceiling on to Mother Ambroisine's shoul- 

 der, it glues the end of the thread to the point of 

 departure and lets itself fall perpendicularly. The 

 thread is drawn from the spinnerets by the weight 

 of the spider, and the latter, softly suspended, de- 

 scends to any depth it wishes, and as slowly as it 

 pleases. In order to ascend again, it climbs up the 

 thread by folding it gradually into a skein between 

 its legs. For a second descent, the spider has only 

 to let its skein of silk unwind little by little. 



"To weave its web, each kind of spider has its 

 own method of procedure, according to the kind of 

 game it is going to hunt, the places it frequents, 

 and according to its particular inclinations, tastes, 

 and instincts. I will merely tell you a few words 

 about the epeirae, large spiders magnificently spec- 

 kled with yellow, black, and silvery white. They are 



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