114 THE STORY-BOOK OF SCI FATE 



plish it, I should say that its bridge is impossible. " 

 Mother Ambroisine said nothing, but by the 

 slackening of the tick-tack of her needles, every one 

 could see that she was much interested in the spi- 

 der's bridge. 



"Animals often have more intelligence than we," 

 continued Uncle Paul; "the epeira will prove it to 

 us. With its hind legs it draws a thread from its 

 spinnerets. The thread lengthens and lengthens ; it 

 floats from the top of the branch. The spider 

 draws out more and more; finally, it stops. Is the 

 thread long enough ? Is it too short ? That is what 

 must be looked after. If too long, it would be wast- 

 ing the precious silky liquid; if too short, it would 

 not fulfil the given conditions. A glance is thrown 

 at the distance to be crossed, an exact glance, you 

 may be sure. The thread is found too short. The 

 spider lengthens it by drawing out a little more. 

 Now all goes well: the thread has the wished-for 

 length, and the work is done. The epeira waits at 

 the top of its branch: the rest will be accomplished 

 without help. From time to time it bears with its 

 legs on the thread to see if it resists. Ah ! it resists ; 

 the bridge is fixed! The spider crosses the stream 

 on its suspension bridge! What has happened, 

 then? This: The thread floated from the top of 

 the willow. A breath of air blew the free end of 

 the thread into the branches on the opposite bank. 

 This end got entangled there; behold the mystery. 

 The epeira has only to draw the thread to itself, to 

 stretch it properly and make a suspension bridge 

 of it." 



