204 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



to a taut trapline which is connected with the centre. There is no slack 

 coil, and no springing of the net as with the Triangle spider. 



The industry of Theridiosoma is united to that of the full orb makers, 

 on the one extreme, by its orbicular character and its beaded spirals; but 

 with that of Hyptiotes, on the other extreme, by the independent character 

 of the rays, the nature of the trapline, and the entire mode of operating 

 the snare. The facts necessary to trace these affinities I have already 

 given. 



Some of the striking differences I have also recorded, and they may 

 thus be summarized. The web of Hyptiotes is a single sector; that of 

 Theridiosoma has four or more sectors united. Hyptiotes com- 

 mands one line with her feet, the trapline and its continuation ; 



B8 Theridiosoma commands several axes, which are connected with, 

 from Hyp- 

 tiotes but not continuous of, the trapline. Hyptiotes has her head, 



Theridiosoma her abdomen towards her snare. Hyptiotes habit- 

 ually hangs to the trapline, back downward ; Theridiosoma generally sits 

 upon a foot basket of lines, back upward. Hyptiotes shoots forward when 

 her net is sprung ; Theridiosoma shoots backward ; but both spiders move 

 toward their webs. Hyptiotes holds her slack coil between the two hind 

 feet; Theridiosoma between the fore feet. In these differences, the points 

 wherein Theridiosoma varies from Hyptiotes show a quite apparent ap- 

 proach to the behavior of the full orb makers. Thus the distance which 

 heretofore had separated between the far away extremes of the spinning- 

 work of the Orbitelarise, has been bridged over by the industry of our 

 little indigenous aranead the Ray spider. It is to be remarked that 

 while structurally the Triangle spider is as widely removed from Epeira 

 as economically, the Ray spider is more closely allied structurally to the 

 latter than the former. 



In correspondence with arachnologists, concerning the true position of 

 the Ray spider, the question was raised as to the accuracy of the statement, 



in my paper of 1881, that the interradial lines of Theridiosoma 

 Q 1 ^ 01 , are covered with viscid beads. The question is certainly one of 



great importance. Mr. Cambridge, in establishing the genus, 

 which he regarded as a connecting link between Theridium and Epeira, 

 alludes to the fact that Dr. Koch describes the snare as consisting simply 

 of a few lines spun from plant to plant. " This habit," he declares, " to- 

 gether with some structural considerations, exclude it from the Epeirides." 

 Thus, it would seem that the spinning habit of the creature bore quite as 

 strongly as its structure in determining its systematic position. Had Mr. 

 Cambridge then been familiar with the real spinningwork of the species 

 he might have had no hesitation in relegating it to the Orbitelariae. 



The question was raised, whether the spiral lines of my Ray spider 

 might not have been covered with flocculent strings, somewhat after the 

 manner of the snares of Hyptiotes and Uloborus. As the spider is desti- 



