The Lime-Snare 



247 



anything else would, the unoiled straw, for 

 instance. 



Did I guess aright when I judged that it was 

 a fatty substance that preserved the Epeira 

 from the snares of her sticky Catherine-wheel ? 

 The action of the carbon disulphide seems to 

 say yes. Besides, there is no reason why a 

 substance of this kind, which plays so frequent 

 a part in animal economy, should not coat the 

 Spider very slightly by the mere act of per- 

 spiration. We used to rub our fingers with 

 a little oil before handling the twigs in which 

 the Goldfinch was to be caught ; even so the 

 Epeira varnishes herself with a special sweat, to 

 operate on any part of her web without fear of 

 the lime- threads. 



However, an unduly protracted stay on the 

 sticky threads would have its drawbacks. In 

 the long run, continual contact with those 

 threads might produce a certain adhesion and 

 inconvenience the Spider, who must preserve 

 all her agility in order to rush upon the prey 

 before it can release itself. For this reason, 

 gummy threads are never used in building the 

 post of interminable waiting. 



