HORIZONTAL SNARES AND DOMED ORBS. 



165 



The 

 Dome. 



snare had the composite structure imperfectly represented in Fig. 154. 

 The general form of the snare was that of a pyramid the upper part of 

 which, r, was a mass of right lines, knotted and looped and crossed in 

 all directions. Within this mass was suspended an open silken dome, d d, 

 constructed of a vast number of radii crossed at regular intervals by con- 

 centrics after the manner of the common orbweaving spider. The radii 

 were about one-sixteenth inch apart at the bottom or circumference of the 

 dome. The concentrics extended entirely and with equal regu- 

 larity to the summit. They did not cross the radii in circular 

 lines, but presented that notched appearance which characterizes 

 the notched zone in the ordinary webs of OrbitelariaB. The meshes formed 

 by the radii and spirals had thus much the shape of the meshes in a fish- 

 erman's net. The diameter of the dome was from seven to eight inches 

 at the base, and the height nearly the same. It was suspended in the 

 midst of the retitelarian lines by silken guys of 



oughly steadied the del- 

 fectly preserved its form, 

 from two to three inches 

 of cobweb, c, irregularly 

 ing and straight lines, 

 ed convexity upward, and 

 like the dome above it, 

 seemed to be a protecting 

 or guys, so stretched as 

 pose. This curtain may 

 have been simply the col lapsed remnant of an old 



r ' FIG. 155. The Basilica spider. 



web, which had been strip a, side view of body; c,ceph- ped downward, or aban- 

 doned in order to con alothora * enlarged. gtruct R fregh gnare aboye 



it. But it presented the appearance of a special structure, intended to 

 serve a special purpose. 



Of the many specimens of spinningwork which I have studied, I have 

 never seen one quite so beautiful as this. It was with real regret that such 

 a rare piece of spider architecture was destroyed, after it had been sketched, 

 in order that the architect, herself one of the most beautiful of her 

 kind, might be collected for the cabinet. The species was named Epeira 

 basilica. 



It would be an interesting study to the architect of human habitations, 

 to uncover the principles upon which this silken basilica was reared. He 

 would doubtless find admirable adaptation of means to ends; he 

 would be likely to meet methods quite familiar to himself; and 

 perhaps to stumble upon some of which he is yet ignorant. He 

 certainly would have occasion to marvel that a structure so stable could be 

 wrought out of such fragile material as spider silk, and that the delicate 

 dome could be so poised in the midst and by the help of silken threads as 



like character, which thor 



icate structure, and per 



Beneath the dome, 



removed, was a light sheet 



meshed by wav 

 The Cur- j t had a decid 

 tained 

 Floor was su PP or ted, 



and of which it 

 curtain, by silken threads 

 exactly to meet this pur 



Architec- 

 ture. 



