Pairing and Hunting 273 



rounds. Good ! One is caught, a mighty fine 

 one. The Spider will dine to-day. 



What happens next, in an uncertain light, 

 does not lend itself to accurate observation. 

 It is better to turn to those Garden Spiders who 

 never leave their web and who hunt mainly in 

 the daytime. The Banded and the Silky 

 Epeira, both of whom live on the rosemaries 

 in the enclosure, shall show us in broad day- 

 Hght the innermost details of the tragedy. 



I myself place on the lime-snare a victim of 

 my selecting. Its six legs are caught without 

 more ado. If the insect raises one of its tarsi 

 and pulls towards itself, the treacherous thread 

 follows, unwinds slightly and, without letting 

 go or breaking, yields to the captive's desperate 

 jerks. Any limb released only tangles the 

 others still more and is speedily recaptured by 

 the sticky matter. There is no means of escape, 

 except by smashing the trap with a sudden 

 effort whereof even powerful insects are not 

 always capable. 



Warned by the shaking of the net, the Epeira 

 hastens up ; she turns round about the quarry ; 

 she inspects it at a distance, so as to ascertain 



s 



