70 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



Blackwall and Mr. C. Spense Bate reported to Darwin that the males 

 of spiders are very active and more erratic in their habits than those of 



females. 1 This appears to be a general opinion among araneolo- 

 Are Males gj s ts ) upon what ground as to the matter of activity I am not 

 A e ,. } able to perceive. One, of course, is compelled to ask what is 

 Sex? meant by activity and inactivity as applied to spiders. Cer- 



tainly the words must be regarded as relative terms. There is 

 a sense in which the females of Sedentary spiders are not as active as the 

 females of the Wandering groups. They may not, indeed, be able to 

 make way over the ground and among herbage with the same facility 

 that marks the Saltigrades, Laterigrades, and Citigrades; but the activity 



in spinningwork of the average female Orbweaver is simply 



Female enormous. One who has watched the method by which the 



r weav-g rea ^ roun( } we b s of our common indigenous species are spun, 



tivity w iM certainly agree that the operator is one of the most active 

 of creatures in that department of work, at least. The rapidity 

 with which the threads are woven, the unceasing play of the hind legs 

 in pulling out the thread, and the striding of the other limbs around 

 the circle, together with the active exercise of the remaining organs, are 

 evidences of immense vigor and activity. The fact that such a large 

 and intricate web as Epeira spins can be wrought out in the course of 

 half an hour or forty minutes, is proof enough of this activity. These 

 snares will be reproduced several times a day if necessary, and the repro- 

 duction continues day after day throughout the lifetime of the aranead. 



So also the same vitality of the female Orbweaver appears in the con- 

 struction of nests, which is not an inconsiderable work, involving no 

 slight exercise of strength, as well as of ingenuity, as any one will see 

 by turning to the chapter upon Nesting Habits, of this work, Chapter 

 XVII., Volume I. 



Again, this activity appears in the capture of prey. If any one will 



take his stand before an average orbweb of almost any common species, 



say Epeira strix or Epeira sclopetaria, or Argiope cophinaria, 



Activity a ^ a season w hen flies and other insects abound, and in a site 



" Prey 1 "" wncre *^ e y are pl en ty> he w iH be surprised at the intense ac- 



tivity displayed in the capture of insects. One after another 



these victims are seized, swathed, dragged to the hub or den to be de- 



voured, and that with a display of vigor in capturing, in swathing, in 



cutting out the captive, and repairing the web, which must strike the 



most casual observer. The feast will be left a number of times to seize 



and truss up in like manner other victims who happen to strike the snare, 



and on each successive capture the same tremendous rush and energy of 



action will be noticed. 



1 Descent of Man, chapter ix., Vol. II., page 329. 



