The Banded Epeira 67 



purged of every woody particle and tested for 

 flexibility and tenacity, he winds a number of 

 loops round the end of the branch which he 

 has selected as a support for his structure. 



It is not a very accurate piece of work. The 

 loops run clumsily and anyhow : some are 

 slacker, others tighter ; but, when all is said, it 

 is solid, which is the main point. Also, this 

 fibrous sheath, the keystone of the edifice, 

 occupies a fair length of branch, which enables 

 the fastenings for the net to be multiplied. 



The several straps, after describing a certain 

 number of turns, ravel out at the ends and hang 

 loose. After them come interlaced threads, 

 greater in number and finer in texture. In the 

 tangled jumble occur what might almost be 

 described as weaver's knots. As far as one can 

 judge by the result alone, without having seen 

 the bird at work, this is how the canvas, the 

 support of the cotton wall, is obtained. 



This warp, this inner framework, is obviously 

 not constructed in its entirety from the start ; 

 it goes on gradually, as the bird stuffs the part 

 above it with cotton. The wadding, picked 

 up bit by bit from the ground, is teazled by 



