BRITISH BUTTERFLIES 



inspection revealed the fact that it was paying out a 

 thread as the foundation line for a snare, expecting, 

 as is usually the case, that it would ultimately become 

 entangled in some neighbouring object. Unfortun- 

 ately, from the direction of the wind, the line was drift- 

 ing directly towards the French coast, and the nearest 

 available object was at a distance considerably more 

 than twenty miles. After a prodigious amount of 

 thread had been thus expended, the spider seemed to 

 come to the conclusion that it must have caught some- 

 where, and, acting upon this supposition, walked 

 boldly out to sea. I watched for some considerable 

 time but never saw her again. 



But let us return to our railings. Look at this little 

 creature just preparing to vacate its perch. I will post- 

 pone its journey by breaking its thread, because I wish 

 you to examine it closely. Take this lens : its magnifying 

 capability is only about three diameters, but it will 

 help you considerably in making out the structural 

 peculiarities of your victim. Take particular notice 

 of the shape of its head. Do you see that instead of 

 being bluffly rounded as in the majority of spiders it is 

 drawn out into a kind of conical elongation with a tuft 

 of hairs at the top ? Extraordinary, is it not ? 



You ask me what is the reason for this curious form- 

 ation : I am afraid I cannot tell you. It has been 

 suggested that its object is to increase the creature's 



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