358 The Life of the Spider 



Let us direct our attention to the nets of the 

 Epeirae, preferably to those of the Silky Epeira 

 and the Banded Epeira, so plentiful in the 

 autumn, in my part of the country, and 

 so remarkable for their bulk. We shall first 

 observe that the radii are equally spaced ; the 

 angles formed by each consecutive pair are of 

 perceptibly equal value; and this in spite of 

 their number, which in the case of the Silky 

 Epeira exceeds two score. We know by what 

 strange means the Spider attains her ends and 

 divides the area wherein the web is to be 

 warped into a large number of equal sectors, 

 a number which is almost invariable in the work 

 of each species. An operation without method, 

 governed, one might imagine, by an irrespon- 

 sible whim, results in a beautiful rose-window 

 worthy of our compasses. 



We shall also notice that, in each sector, the 

 various chords, the elements of the spiral 

 windings, are parallel to one another and gradu- 

 ally draw closer together as they near the 

 centre. With the two radiating lines that 

 frame them they form obtuse angles on one 

 side and acute angles on the other ; and these 



