176 THE WONDERS OF INSTINCT 



them, down to the dandelion-plume that barely brushes 

 against them. Nevertheless, the Epeira, who is in con- 

 stant touch with her web, is not caught in them. Why ? 

 Because the Spider has contrived for herself, in the mid- 

 dle of her trap, a floor in whose construction the sticky 

 spiral thread plays no part. There is here, covering a 

 space which, in the larger webs, is about equal to the 

 palm of one's hand, a neutral fabric in which the explor- 

 ing straw finds no adhesiveness anywhere. 



Here, on this central resting-floor, and here only, the 

 Epeira takes her stand, waiting' whole days for the ar- 

 rival of the game. However close, however prolonged 

 her contact with this portion of the web, she runs no 

 risk of sticking to it, because the gummy coating is 

 lacking, as is the twisted and tubular structure, through- 

 out the length of the spokes and throughout the extent of 

 the auxiliary spiral. These pieces, together with the rest 

 of the framework, are made of plain, straight, solid 

 thread. 



But when a victim is caught, sometimes right at the 

 edge of the web, the Spider has to rush up quickly, to 

 bind it and overcome its attempts to free itself. She is 

 walking then upon her network; and I do not find that 

 she suffers the least inconvenience. The lime-threads 

 are not even lifted by the movements of her legs. 



In my boyhood, when a troop of us would go, on 

 Thursdays, 1 to try and catch a Goldfinch in the hemp- 

 fields, we used, before covering the twigs with glue, to 

 grease our fingers with a few drops of oil, let we should 



1 The weekly half-holiday in French schools. Translator's Note. 



