100 



THE BROOK BOOK 



rest on its line the spider might easily be mistaken 

 for one of the slight projections on the twig. 



After the web is finished the triangle spider 

 walks to the outer end of the main line. She does 

 not walk on this line, but under it, prefer- 

 ring to hang back downwards on the thread 

 rather than to try and walk a tight -rope. 

 She seizes the line with her two hind pairs 



of legs near the twig, her 

 head toward the snare. 

 Then, reaching far for- 

 ward with the fore legs, 

 she pulls the line in, hand 

 over hand, until the 

 whole snare stands taut 

 and rigid. A loop of 

 thread is thus made 

 above the body of the 

 dependent spider. 



Here sits the trapper 

 awaiting some hapless 

 winged thing. I know 

 not how long she may sit 

 there without apparently 

 changing her position so 

 much as a hair's breadth 

 or lessening the rigidity 

 of the line. If I disturb the web lightly, simulat- 

 ing the struggles of a surprised and reluctant fly, 

 snap ! the main line is slackened and the whole 

 web is relaxed and rapidly vibrated. If the spider 

 comes aown into her web and finds no fluttering 



THE TRIANGLE WEB 



THE SPIDER AT HER TASK 



OF "HOLDING ON" 



