The Wit of the Wild 



* 



tail, like that of the puma, becomes a true lure ; 

 but whether it is the gratification of curiosity 

 or a gloating over danger or a wish to punish 

 the reptile that causes the little animals to be 

 too venturesome, certainly many seem to hover 

 about a serpent until they are caught. 



Every spider's web is a snare before the feet 

 and wings of the unwary. These nets of glu- 

 tinous thread are set where the insects upon 

 which spiders subsist are passing, and they are 

 constructed with marvelous skill. The spider 

 builds them as accurately as she can, and then 

 goes about pulling the tiny cables here and there 

 with precise judgment of the proper tension in 

 order to make sure that all is right. The net 

 must be elastic enough not to break under the 

 first struggles of the prisoner, yet must not be 

 so loose that he can push through. Some of 

 these spider snares are several feet in diameter 

 and frequently they are strong enough to cap- 

 ture small birds or mice. 



Analogous to this is the small net of silken 

 threads spun by the caddis-worms of certain 

 species common in all our swifter streams, which 

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