My Neighbour 225 



enough of them, the Epeira need no longer 

 resort to falls in order to extract her threads ; 

 she goes from one cord to the next, always 

 wire-drawing with her hind-legs and placing 

 her produce in position as she goes. This 

 results in a combination of straight lines owning 

 no order, save that they are kept in one, nearly 

 perpendicular plane. They mark a very irregu- 

 lar polygonal area, wherein the web, itself a work 

 of magnificent regularity, shall presently be 

 woven. 



It is unnecessary to go over the construction 

 of the masterpiece again ; the younger Spiders 

 have taught us enough in this respect. In both 

 cases, we see the same equidistant radii laid, with 

 a central landmark for a guide ; the same 

 auxiliary spiral, the scaffolding of temporary 

 rungs, soon doomed to disappear ; the same 

 snaring-spiral, with its maze of closely-woven 

 coils. Let us pass on : other details call for 

 our attention. 



The laying of the snaring-spiral is an exceed- 

 ingly delicate operation, because of the regu- 

 larity of the work. I was bent upon knowing 

 whether, if subjected to the din of unaccustomed 



