THE SPIDER. 



451 



just mentioned, these animals hare two others, 

 which may more properly be called arms, as 

 they do not serve to assist motion, but are used 

 in holding and managing their prey. 



The spider, though thus formidably equipped, 

 would seldom prove successful in the capture, 

 were it not equally furnished with other instru- 

 ments to assist its depredations. As it lives 

 wholly upon flies, and is without wings to 

 pursue them, it is obvious they must for ever 

 escape so important an adversary ; but the 

 spider is a most experienced hunter , and spreads 

 its nest to catch those animals it is enabled to 

 pursue. The spider's web is generally laid in 

 those places where flies are most apt to come 

 and shelter ; in the corners of rooms, round 

 the edges of windows, and in the open air 

 among the branches of trees. There the 

 little animal remains for days, nay, weeks to- 

 gether, in patient expectation, seldom chang- 

 ing its situation though never so unsuccessful. 



For the purposes of making this web, na- 

 ture has supplied this animal with a large 

 quantity of glutinous matter within its body, 

 and five dugs or teats for spinning it into 

 thread. This substance is contained in a 

 little bag, and at the first sight it resembles 

 soft glue ; but when examined more accurately, 

 it will be found twisted into coils of an agate 

 colour, and upon breaking it, the contents 

 may be easily drawn out into threads, from 

 the tenacity of the substance, not from those 

 threads being already formed. Those who 

 have seen the machine by which wire is spun, 

 will have an idea of the manner in which this 

 animal forms the threads of its little net, the 

 orifices of the five teats above mentioned, 

 through which the thread is drawn, contract- 

 ing or dilating at pleasure. The threads 

 which we see, and appear so fine, are, notwith- 

 standing, composed of five joined together, and 

 these are many times doubled when the web 

 is in formation. 



When the house-spider purposes to begin 

 a web, it first makes choice of some commo- 

 dious spot, where there is an appearance of 

 plunder and security. The animal then distils 

 one little drop of its glutinous liquor, which is 

 very tenacious, and then creeping up the wall, 

 and joining its thread as it proceeds, it darts 

 itself in a very surprising manner, as I have 

 often seen, to the opposite place, where the 

 other end of the web is to be fastened. The 

 first thread thus formed, drawn tight, and fixed 

 at each end, the spider then runs upon it back- 

 ward and forward, still assiduously employed 

 in doubling and strengthening it, as upon its 

 force depends the strength and stability of the 

 whole. The scaffolding thus completed, the 

 spider makes a number of threads parallel to 

 the first, in the same manner, and then crosses 

 them with others ; the clammy substance of 



which they are formed, serving to bind them, 

 when newly made, to each other. The insect, 

 alter this operation, doubles and trebles all 

 thread that borders its web., by opening the 

 its teats at once, and secures the edges, so as 

 to prevent the wind from blowing the work 

 away. The edges being thus fortified, the 

 retieat is next to be attended to : and this is 

 formed like a funnel at the bottom of the web, 

 where the little creature lies concealed. To this 

 are two passages, or outlets, one above and 

 the other below, very artfully contrived, to 

 give the animal an opportunity of making ex- 

 cursions at proper seasons, of prying into every 

 corner, and cleaning those parts which are 

 observed to be clogged or encumbered. Still 

 attentive to its web, the spider, from time to 

 time, cleans away the dust that gathers round 

 it, which might otherwise clog and incom- 

 mode it: for this purpose, it gives the whole 

 a shake with its paws ; still, however, proper- 

 tioning the blow so as not to endanger the 

 fabric. It often happens, also, that from the 

 main web there are several threads extended 

 at some distance on every side; these are, in 

 some measure, the outworks of the fortifica- 

 tion, which, whenever touched from without, 

 the spider prepares for attack or self-defence. 

 If the insect impinging be a fly, it springs 

 forward with great agility ; if, on the con- 

 trary, it be the assault of an enemy stronger 

 than itself, it keeps within its fortress, and 

 never ventures out till the danger be over. 

 Another advantage the spider reaps from this 

 contrivance of a cell or retreat behind the web, 

 is, that it serves for a place where the creature 

 can feast upon its game with all safety, and 

 conceal the fragments of those carcases which 

 it has- picked, without exposing to public view 

 the least trace of barbarity, that might create 

 a suspicion in any insects that their enemy 

 was near. 



It often happens, however, that the wind, 

 or rustling of the branches, or the approach 

 of some large animal, destroys in a minute 

 the labours of an age. In this case, the spider 

 is obliged to remain a patient spectator of the 

 universal ruin ; and when the danger is passed 

 away, it sets about repairing the calamity. 

 For this purpose, it is furnished with a large 

 store of the glutinous substance of which the 

 web is made ; and with this, it either makes 

 a new web, or patches up the old one. In 

 general, however, the animal is much fonder 

 of mending than making, as it is furnished 

 originally with but a certain quantity ol 

 glutinous matter, which when exhausted 

 nothing can renew. The time seldom fails 

 to come, when the reservoirs are entirely dried 

 up, and the poor animal is left to all the 

 chances of irretrievable necessity. An old 

 spider is thus frequently reduced to the great- 



