292 The Life of the Spider 



I bring about a change of webs between two 

 neighbouring Banded Epeirae. No sooner is 

 either placed upon the strange net than she 

 makes for the central floor, settles herself head 

 downwards and does not stir from it, satisfied 

 with her neighbour's web as with her own. 

 Neither by day nor by night does she try to 

 shift her quarters and restore matters to their 

 pristine state. Both Spiders think themselves 

 in their own domain. The two pieces of work 

 are so much alike that I almost expected this. 



I then decide to effect an exchange of webs 

 between two different species. I move the 

 Banded Epeira to the net of the Silky Epeira 

 and vice versa. The two webs are now dis- 

 similar ; the Silky Epeira' s has a limy spiral 

 consisting of closer and more numerous circles. 

 What will the Spiders do, when thus put to the 

 test of the unknown ? One would think that, 

 when one of them found meshes too wide for 

 her under her feet, the other meshes too narrow, 

 they would be frightened by this sudden change 

 and decamp in terror. Not at all. Without a 

 sign of perturbation, they remain, plant them- 

 selves in the centre and await the coming of the 



