308 



AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



Music 

 Box. 



keys. He also states, as a fact which had recently come to his attention, 

 that a lady while playing a harp in the midst of her garden perceived a 

 spider fixed in the attitude of attention above her. Presently she trans- 

 ported her instrument to another part of the room, whereupon the spider 

 also changed its position. The lady's curiosity being excited, several simi- 

 lar movements were made, which led her to conclude that the aranead was 

 affected by the sound of the instrument. 1 



Campbell had in confinement a Tegenaria domestica, which at a tune 

 from a music box would open her spinnerets, an act which is common to 

 spiders when expecting food, and go to the centre of her web 

 where she used to be fed. It took some weeks thus to tr.-iin 

 her, and the first sign of reconciliation to her imprisonment w;is 

 an angry movement of the falces when he touched her, whereas previously 

 she used to run away. 2 He also speaks of startling spiders some distance 

 off by the banging of a door, and their agitation could not be explained 

 by supposing a current of air ; nevertheless it easily might have been ex- 

 plained by the agitation of the door jambs communicated through the 

 wall to the web of the spider. 3 Other examples might be cited, but the 

 above are sufficiently typical, and will answer all my purposes. 



Now, the question naturally arises, what basis of fact is there for such 



a consensus of belief? Shall we dismiss the matter by simply supposing 



that all the individuals concerned deliberately drew upon their im- 



A Natural a g ma tion, or were deceived? There is no reason to doubt a certain 



part of the facts, at least. It is noticeable that in most of the 



above accounts the hour at which the spiders appeared was the 



evening, or just before evening. This is a most natural occurrence. I 



have sat upon an open porch or verandah, and as the afternoon waned 



and sunset drew near, have seen spiders descend from the angles, cornices, 



and crevices of the ceiling and roof, and spin their webs in the open 



spaces above me. They seemed to hang suspended in the air, without any 



special purpose, and, indeed, one who did not take pains to watch them 



would naturally conclude that they were in a position of fixed attention. 



It is customary for spiders, particularly Orbweavers and Lineweavers, 

 who are the ones to which sucli manners are to be attributed, to descend 

 in this manner and present this attitude as the evening ap- 

 Bvening proaches, which is the time for their ordinary activity. To be 

 sure, they do not remain thus long, but proceed to make their 

 snares, yet, in so far, the stories which we have emoted may be 

 considered as substantially true. The persons concerned may 

 have seen the spiders descend at the evening hour and hang in an ap- 

 parent attitude of attention. 



and Vi- 

 bration. 



1 Aj.trres, Vol. I., past- 110. 



2 Observations on Spiders, F. Maule Cainplx'll. 

 Ibid., pagf 41. 



