64 



AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



again escaped unseen, ran in between some stones a foot distant, and dis- 

 appeared. The wasp beat about as before for five minutes, and gave up 

 the chase. 



The wasp seemed to have more staying powers than the spider, but the 

 latter made up for this by hiding and resting. The spider would hide until 

 the wasp spied it or came near; it would also rest under its web, hanging 

 thereto, but never stopped elsewhere longer than a second or two, except 

 on the two occasions when it entirely left the web. The wasp nearly caught 

 the spider a number of times ; it certainly must have touched it five or 



six times, but could never get a firm hold. 

 When the spider hid, the wasp started 

 to search over and under the leaves, and 

 seemed very keen sighted. The spider 

 did some excellent dodging over the edge 

 of its web and over the leaves, but never 

 attempted to double upon its track. The 

 wasp was always in motion ; the spider 

 hid and rested when it could, and seemed 

 to know pretty well where its pursuer was 

 and when it was seen by her. The wasp 

 tried several times to get over the web 

 at the spider, but without success. Sev- 



FIG. 46. Snare and nest of Epeira beccarii. i j A i i T -L T 



eral times the spider escaped by slipping 



. through its web. The wasp evidently depended on sight alone ; the spider 

 on sight and, as the observer believes, largely on the vibration of the air 

 and of the web. 



II. 



The tendency of orbweaving spiders to develop the hub of their snares 

 into a tubular passageway between the orb and the nesting tent has been 

 referred to as characteristic of Epeira labyrinthea. (See Vol. I., 

 A Tube- page 141.) The Messrs. Workman 1 have noted and figured 

 another illustration of this, which is even more decided than 

 that displayed by the Labyrinth spider. Epeira beccarii Thorell 

 was found in considerable numbers growing at the side of the 

 Deli Road, about two miles from Singapore. Their snares (Fig. 46) are 

 dish shaped horizontal orbs, with the concavity upward. The hub is ele- 

 vated into a cornucopia like shape, the top of which is slightly curved. 

 About half way up this tube the egg cocoon is placed. Below the snare 

 is a network of retitelarian lines larger than the orb, which is eight inches 

 in diameter. The central tube reaches a length of three inches. It is 

 braced to the surrounding twigs and leaves and thus kept upright. 





making 

 Orb- 

 weaver. 



Malaysian Spiders. By Thomas and M. E. Workman, Belfast, Ireland, 1892. 



