304 



AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



Nest of 

 Triaranea 



snare hung among the foliage underneath. One would certainly think 

 that a spider thus domiciled has secured for herself the highest attainable 

 security and comfort within the compass of aranead nidincation. At other 

 times her den will be found within the point of a single leaf, which has 

 been curled over and sewed together. 



It will thus be seen that the nesting habit of Thaddeus is closely re- 

 lated to that of the group represented by Insularis and Trifolium, the 

 principal difference being, that in the last named species the silken part 

 of the structure seems to be rather the lining, while in the former the 

 silken tent is quite distinct and the leaf shelter appears to be rather a 

 secondary matter. At all events, no matter how complete may be the 



security afforded by the clustered leaves 

 or rolled leaves, the cylindrical tent of 

 Thaddeus may nearly always be found 

 entire, and in a well secured retreat. 



In the case of Triaranea the use of 

 the leaf in nidificatiori is extremely 



rare. Such, at least, is the 

 i, P i 



lt f my Wn observa - 



tions, although I should not 



be at all surprised to find that in 

 other geographical provinces the spider 

 may be found to resort to the aid of 

 leaves and other material quite as free- 

 ly as some of her cogeners. Neverthe- 

 less, it is probable that the maze of 

 netted lines within which she swings 

 her bell shaped tent answers all the 

 FIG. 280. Nest of Epeira thaddeus within leaves, purposes of a leafy protection, and 



The tube is shown uncovered at the upper right as long as her home is protected bv 

 hand of the cut. - -n i i 



such an environment she will be less 

 likely to resort to the additional protection of leaves. 



Be that as it may, her home is a silken dome, swung within a mass of 

 netted lines supported upon the foliage of trees, or stayed upon the sur- 

 rounding surfaces of her nest site. It is open downward toward the orb, 

 to which the home is connected by the ordinary trapline. The mass ex- 

 tends well below the mouth of the tent, and a little free space is usually 

 left between the maze and the orb. Sometimes the tent is decidedly bell 

 shaped, widest at the mouth, and is much larger than the occupant herself, 

 as at Fig. 282. Again, I have seen a tubular passage way or vestibule ex- 

 tending from the mouth of the nest entirely through the length of the 

 maze, thus affording a sheltered passage for the spider along her trapline, 

 well nigh to the point of approach to the orb at its hub. (See Chapter 

 VIII., Figs. 123, 132.) It often happens that Triaranea selects a site that 



