BOOK XI. XXVIII. 81-84 



appears to be the density of the close warp and the 

 plan of the woof, rendered by a sort of scientific 

 smoothing automatically tenacious ! How its bosom 

 belHes to the breezes so as not to reject things that 

 come to it ! You might think the threads had been 

 left by a weary weaver stretching in front at the top ; 

 but they are difficult to see, and, like the cords in 

 hunting-nets, when the quarry comes against them 

 throw it into the bosom of the net. With what 

 architectural skill is the vaulting of the actual cave 

 designed ! and how much more hairy it is made, to 

 give protection against cold ! How distant it is from 

 the centre, and how its intention is concealed, 

 although it is really so roofed in that it is impossible 

 to see whether somebody is inside or not ! Then its 

 strength — when is it broken by the winds ? what 

 quantity of dust weighs it do^vn ? When the spider 

 is practising its art and learning to weave, the 

 breadth of the web often reaches between two trees 

 and the length of the thread stretches down from 

 the top of the tree and there is a quick return right 

 up the thread from the ground, and the spider goes 

 up and brings down the threads simultaneously. 

 But when a catch falls into the web, how watchfully 

 and alertly it runs to it ! although it may be chnging 

 to the edge of the net, it always runs to the middle, 

 because in that way it entangles the prey by shaking 

 the whole. When the web is torn it at once restores 

 it to a finished condition by patching it. And spiders 

 actually hunt young frogs and hzards, first wrapping 

 up their mouth with web and then finally gripping 

 both Hps Avith their jaws, giving a show worthy of the 

 amphitheatre when it comes ofF. Also auguries are Augury bu 

 obtained from the spider : for instance, when the 



483 



