104 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



the morning glory leaves which cover the board pile, apparently for the 



purpose of making fast to something in order to place her main beam. 



But she soon gave over and went back to her bed, seeming discouraged. 



Towards noon I found her with a miller or moth in her clutches, wrapped 



in what seemed to me a scrap of her bedding. As I looked, a fly became 



entangled about three inches from her. She directly w r ent towards it, but 



in no great haste, no doubt because sure of her prey, and when 



near enough she reached out, hauled it into close quarters, and 



before I could see how, the fly also was wrapped in a bit of 



white gauze. l She took it to her bed, and I suppose fed on it and the miller. 



" In the afternoon I found her on her bed on the inside of the web, 

 exactly opposite to her old place on the outside, and there she remains 

 this evening. Perhaps she thinks the inside the safer place of the two 

 in the dilapidated state of her dwelling. This spider is certainly subjected 

 to great trials. 



" Friday morning, September 15th. There was a heavy rain last night, 

 with wind, and the spider has disappeared. I have shaken the convolv- 

 ulus leaves roundabout, but find no sign of her, and the wreck of the 

 web has the appearance of being utterly deserted." 



The journal here ended, and I heard nothing more of the creature 

 whose life and trials had been followed with so much interest and intel- 

 ligence by my Frankford correspondent. The above quotations throw some 

 interesting side lights upon the humble daily life of this representative 

 of the spider world. 



It may interest the reader to know what caused the sudden disappear- 

 ance of the Argiope at this point. The date (September 15th) is the co- 

 cooning season; and no doubt Cophinaria had retired to some shaded 

 nook among the leaves or adjacent lumber, to spend the last forces of life 

 in weaving the beautiful basket shaped cocoon of the species, within which 

 the young are reared. 



The Central Space of the Basket Argiope's snare consists of the hub 

 and its adjuncts, as described, and several (there are four in Fig. 89) un- 

 beaded spirals. These are more widely separated as they ap- 

 z proach the beaded spirals, and they occupy nearly the entire space, 



so that there is little or no Free Zone. Some of the notched 

 spirals are nearly always covered by the shield, and when the spinning- 

 work thereon is light they may be seen beneath it. The fact that they are 

 without viscid beads explains Mr. Hunt's wonder that no insects were en- 

 tangled in this part of the web. 



The architecture of the entire snare is shown at Figs. 47, 89, 90. 



An interesting feature in the construction of Cophinaria's snare is that 

 which I have called " protective wings " or fenders. These are outlying 



1 The swathing of the insect is often done rapidly, by one outgush of silken filaments 

 from the spinners, and a quick motion of the feet revolving the captive. 



