THE EPEIRID/E 



155 



in the center and winds outward, and an outer spiral that begins 

 at the edge of the web and winds inward. The inner spiral is 

 made of smooth thread like the rays, and dust will not stick 

 to it. The outer spiral is made of more elastic and sticky 

 thread, which, when it is fresh, is covered with fine drops of 

 a sticky liquid. In the finished web (figs. 379, 380) the outer 



Fig. 379. Web of Epeira strix covered with dew hanging between the rails of a fence. 

 One-third the real size. 



spiral covers three-quarters or more of the diameter and the 

 inner spiral a quarter or less, but in the unfinished web (fig. 381), 

 before the sticky thread is put in, the inner spiral covers nearly 

 the whole of it and is cut out, piece by piece, to make room for 

 the outer spiral. 



In beginning a web, after the radiating threads are finished, 

 the spider fastens them more firmly at the center and corrects 



