THE SPIDER'S WEB 119 



usual abiding place. If the weather is favorable 

 and the passage of game abundant, morning and 

 evening especially, the epeira leaves its den and 

 posts itself, motionless, in the center of the web, to 

 watch events more closely and run to the game 

 quickly enough to prevent its escape. The spider 

 is at its post, in the middle of the network, its eight 

 legs spread out wide. It does not move, pretends 

 to be dead. No hunter on the watch would have 

 such patience. Let us copy its example and await 

 the coming of the game." 



The children were disappointed: at the moment 

 when the story became the most interesting, Uncle 

 Paul broke off his narrative. 



"The epeira has interested me very much, Uncle," 

 said Jules. "The bridge over the stream, the cob- 

 web with its regular radiating lines, and the thread 

 that twists and turns, getting nearer and nearer to 

 the center, the room for ambush and rest all that 

 is very astonishing in a creature that does these 

 wonderful things without having to learn how. 

 Catching the game ought to be still more curious." 



* Very curious indeed. Therefore, instead of 

 telling you about the hunt, I prefer to show it to 

 yon. Yesterday, in crossing the field, I saw an 

 epeira constructing its web between two trees on 

 the little strejmi where such fine crayfish are caught. 

 I.'-t us get up early in the morning and go and see 



the , 



