The Banded Epeira 51 



in space. When calm is restored, she packs her 

 cord and cHmbs up again. The heavy paunch 

 and the hind-legs are now bound. The flow 

 slackens, the silk comes only in thin sheets. 

 Fortunately, the business is done. The prey 

 is invisible under the thick shroud. 



The Spider retires without giving a bite. To 

 master the terrible quarry, she has spent the 

 whole reserves of her spinning-mill, enough to 

 weave many good-sized webs. With this heap 

 of shackles, further precautions are superfluous. 



After a short rest in the centre of the net, she 

 comes down to dinner. Slight incisions are 

 made in different parts of the prize, now here, 

 now there ; and the Spider puts her mouth to 

 each and sucks the blood of her prey. The 

 meal is long protracted, so rich is the dish. For 

 ten hours, I watch the insatiable glutton, who 

 changes her point of attack as each wound 

 sucked dries up. Night comes and robs me of 

 the finish of the unbridled debauch. Next morn- 

 ing, the drained Mantis lies upon the ground. 

 The Ants are eagerly devouring the remains. 



The eminent talents of the Epeirae are dis- 

 played to even better purpose in the industrial 



