276 The Life of the Spider 



morsels, hardly ever known to the Epeirae. Will 

 they be accepted, if supplied by my stratagems ? 



They are, but not without caution. The 

 game is seen to be perilous of approach and the 

 Spider turns her back upon it, instead of facing 

 it ; she trains her rope-cannon upon it. 

 Quickly, the hind-legs draw from the spinnerets 

 something much better than single cords. The 

 whole silk-battery works at one and the same 

 time, firing a regular volley of ribbons and 

 sheets, which a wide movement of the legs 

 spreads fan-wise and flings over the entangled 

 prisoner. Guarding against sudden starts, the 

 Epeira casts her armfuls of bands on the front- 

 and hind-parts, over the legs and over the wings, 

 here, there and everywhere, extravagantly. 

 The most fiery prey is promptly mastered 

 under this avalanche. In vain, the Mantis 

 tries to open her saw-toothed arm-guards ; in 

 vain, the Hornet makes play with her dagger ; 

 in vain, the Beetle stiffens his legs and arches 

 his back : a fresh wave of threads swoops down 

 and paralyzes every effort. 



These lavished, far-flung ribbons threaten to 

 exhaust the factory ; it would be much more 



