268 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [11:6— Sept., 1915 



The spider of the funnel web is larger than the house-spider 

 The cephlalo-thorax is only a little smaller than the abdomen. 

 The body iand legs are covered with hairs. The palps are almost 

 as lairge as legs. This spider has eight small eyes on the front 

 part of the head. She has two projections at the end of the abdo- 

 men. These form a part of her spinnerets. The other parts 

 are on the under side of the abdomen. 



By the time we have reached that stage in the study of the 

 spiders, some of the children will report another kind of web — 

 the one called the round or orb web. If one of these webs is found 

 near the building, a field trip with the class will be found profitable. 



Two large orb weavers are common in gardens and fields. 

 One is the large black ar.d yellow autumn spider. The other 

 a bright colored spider, sometimes light yellow, sometimes orange, 

 or salmon pink. This spider frequently makes its web in shrubs 

 in the garden or vines about the home. For this reason it is 

 sometimes spoken of a^ the garden spider, however, this term is 

 applied indiscriminately to a nimiber of species. 



Note the frame work of the orb web. How far do the longest 

 lines extend? To what are they fastened? How great is the 

 diameter of the wheel? To what are the spokes of the wheel 

 attached? How many spokes are there? Note the thread 

 attached to the spokes. You will find that it is a spiral. In 

 what part of the web are the threads of the spiral farthest apart? 

 In what part are they closest together? Describe the center or 

 hub of the web. Touch gently with the tip of the finger or a 

 straw, several parts of the frame work and a number of the spokes. 

 Now touch the spiral threads. How do these differ from the 

 framework and spokes? What do you think is the advantage 

 of having the two kinds of silk? Where does the owner of the 

 web remain when at rest? Do the different orb weavers be- 

 have differently in this respect? 



What does the spider do when an insect becomes entangled 

 in the web? Can you determine how the spider keeps from be- 

 coming entangled in her own web? 



How does the spider make this wonderful web? Leav^e this as 

 a problem to be solved. You may have to keep on the lookout 

 for a nimiber of days or weeks before you can answer this question. 

 The web is usually spun in the evening. Sometimes in the early 

 morning. If you break a few threads in the outer portion of one 



