52 FLASHLIGHTS ON NATURE 



however, that I shall describe it at some length, 



with needful explanations. 



Rosalind began by letting the wind fix an original 



base thread, pretty much by accident. As soon as 



she was satisfied with the lie of this, she formed a 



few others about it 

 irregularly in a rough 

 pentagon, as you see 

 in the outer part of 

 the web, merely to 

 serve as a scaffolding 

 for her future opera- 

 tions. But as soon 

 as she had formed a 

 careless angular figure 

 all round the sphere 

 of her projected snare, 

 she let down a perpen- 

 dicular thread from 

 the top of her base, 

 through the centre of 

 her predestined home, 

 and fastened it off at 



NO. 2 -YOUNG SPIDERLINGS CASTING bottom by 



J 



THEIR FIRST THREADS TO CATCH . 



THE WIND. down it as she span 



it. Then, walking up 



this first ray-line again, she set to work once more 

 a little to the right, spinning again as she walked, 

 and fastened a second ray from the centre of the 

 first to one of her outer cables. Next, time after 

 time, she walked back to the centre, ran along 

 the last ray made, trailing a thread as she went, 



