92 CONVERSATIONS ON 



" No, boys. Fine as you see that thread to 

 be, it is not one single line, but it is made of 

 many thousands joined together. The spi- 

 ders have little bags of gum within their bod- 

 ies, near their spinners, and out of these they 

 draw the threads : when they have come out 

 about the tenth part of an inch, they join 

 them all into one with their claws ; and they 

 can shut their spinners when they please, so 

 as to make the threads longer or shorter ; and 

 they can break them off, too, when they wish." 



"But, Uncle Philip, we do not see why 

 there should be so many threads to make up 

 one." 



" I cannot exactly tell you, boys, why there 

 are so many ; but probably to make the thread 

 dry quicker, by letting the air touch so many 

 parts of it : and I expect, too, the thread is 

 stronger, because we know that in two pieces 

 of cord of one size, if one is made of several 

 smaller cords put together, it will be stronger 

 than the other, which was spun all at once. 

 The following is a picture of the spider's spin- 

 nerets, and some of the threads as -it appears 

 through the microscope ; only you must re- 

 collect that all the threads are not drawn: 



