68 



AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNING WORK. 



the treacherous viscid or adherent lines. The action must also tend in 

 some measure to locate the position of a victim. Can it possibly at times 

 tend to produce a current of air into which insects are attracted ? At all 

 events, when Pholcus phalangioides is annoyed by being touched with 

 pencil or finger, she is pretty sure to begin moving her body, and in a 

 little while is swinging herself around, her body describing a circle which 

 represents the base of a cone, of which the point whereat her clustered 

 feet hold on to her line will be the apex. 



VI. 



Professor Wilder relates an interesting example of the tendency of young 

 Argiope cophinaria to make excursions from the egg enclosure when oppor- 

 tunity presents. Numerous cocoons 



were found at James Island, South 

 Spiders. 



Carolina, which had been torn open 



by birds to get nest building material. From 

 the breach fragmentary wads and rolls of silk 

 floss protruded, along which the spiderlings 

 crawled, and finding themselves in the fresh 

 air and sunshine concluded to enjoy the same. 

 They would swing down from the projecting 

 roll in long festoons, singly, or sometimes 

 clinging to one another like bees when they 

 swarm, but always retained their connection 

 with the cocoon, to which they returned 

 when satisfied with their taste of sunlight 

 and liberty. 1 One is inclined to note here a 

 judicious mingling of conservative caution 

 with youthful sportiveness. 



FIG. 49. Baby spiders on 

 a holiday excursion. 

 (Adapted from Wilder.) 



VII. 



In Vol. I. of this work were considered the poison apparatus of spiders 

 and the effects of their poison upon animals and man. Since then numer- 

 ous contributions upon the general subject have been made by 

 p . many persons, from widely separated parts. Some of the most 



valuable of these have been published in " Insect Life," the offi- 

 cial journal of the Entomological Bureau of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture. These leave the facts substantial ly as generalized by me, 

 and my own view thereof is therefore unchanged, as follows : The poison 

 secreted by spiders is sparingly used, and it is not necessary for securing 

 prey ; its object is probably chiefly defensive, and its effect upon creatures 

 of its own rank and size may often be serious and fatal; the effect upon 



's Magazine, March, 1867, page 458. 



