178 NATURAL HISTORl. 



to 1.000 eggs; and the stiil more familiar E. diadema of our gardens similarly places 700 or 800 

 eggs in a single cocoon ; whilst other species, including the widely -spread E. apoclisa, break up their 

 store of eggs into detachments, and produce several cocoons, each containing about 200 eggs. The 

 eggs are agglutinated together into a more or less lenticular mass, and the young Spiders, when first 

 hatched, commonly spin a few lines, upon which they group themselves so as to form a compact little 

 mulberry-like mass of living creatures, which disperse in the most extraordinary fashion if disturbed, 

 The eggs in the cocoons are subject to the attacks of Ichneumons and other parasites. 



The construction of the snares of the Common Garden Spider (Epeira diadema) must be familiar 

 to everybody. They consist of a number of stout radiating lines running from a common centre to 

 a set of strong lines stretched between various neighbouring points of attachment, and enclosing the 

 space occupied by the snare, and crossed by a series of short lines, which, as a whole, constitute 

 a spiral running from the centre to the outer margin of the actual snare. The Spider commences its 

 operations by stretching the outermost or foundation lines, which are attached to accessible points 

 and then carried to other points and there fixed, the Spider sometimes dropping to the ground 

 and walking across to the base of the opposite point of attachment, sometimes emitting a thread from 

 its spinnei's, and allowing it to be carried away by the wind until it attaches itself to some object, and 

 thus forms a bridge. These foundation lines are made strong, and the radiating lines are tightly 

 stretched between them, and all joined at the centre of the future snare, and all these parts consist of 

 simple smooth silken threads. The Spider then starting from the centre proceeds to stretch a series, 

 of short threads between the radii, in doing which it follows an absolutely spiral course around the 

 centre, so that the short cross-threads are really arranged spirally, although, of course ; each 

 inter-radial piece is straight. But the most remarkable point is that the whole of these inter-radial 

 pieces of thread, except those forming a few turns close to the centre of the snare, are of a totally 

 different structure from the rest of the net. They consist of a slender elastic silk thread, covered with 

 little beads of a viscous substance, which, no doubt, give them a greatly increased power of adhesion 

 io any unfortunate insect that may come in contact with them. The central part, from which the 

 viscous beads are absent, is the station in which the Spider lies in wait for its prey, hanging 

 head downwards. Its shelter, as already stated, is a silken cell usually attained by a special thread, 

 but sometimes only by one of the radii. This whole snare, or, at all events, all the viscid lines of the 

 spiral, are renewed daily, and notwithstanding its complication the Spider occupies only about an 

 hour in its fabrication. 



It will be easily understood that a delicate net of this character stretched vertically in the air 

 will capture many flying insects, and the owner, seated comfortably in the centre, is at once aware, by 

 the shock produced upon its network and the subsequent struggles of the insect, that a victim is 

 caught, and will further be able to judge of its whereabouts. To satisfy doubts upon this latter point, 

 or to make a struggling prey entangle itself more thoroughly, the Spider will often, under these 

 circumstances, shake its web violently ; but it usually soon makes its way to the spot and effectually 

 secures its prisoner by turning it round and round by movements of the legs, and at the same 

 time swathing it in an abundant supply of silk, poured forth from the spinnerets. In this operation 

 many species are aided by peculiar spines (called sustentacula) attached to the last joints of the 

 posterior legs, which move in such a manner as to form with the claws regular claspers capable of 

 drawing out silk from the spinnerets, and of performing various other functions in connection with 

 that secretion. Mr. Blackwall describes the process in E. diadema as follows : " Causing the 

 victim to rotate," he says, " by the action of the third pair of legs and the palpi, the first pair cf 

 legs being also frequently employed in a similar manner, they extend the spinners laterally, and 

 applying to them alternately the sustentaculum of each posterior leg, they seize and draw out 

 numerous fine lines in the form of a fillet, which they attach to their revolving prey, and thus 

 involve it in a dense covering of silk from one extremity to the other. By means of this stratagem," 

 he adds, " they are capable of overcoming formidable and powerful insects, such as Wasps, Bees, and 

 even large Beetles." It must be remarked, however, that these Spiders do not like Wasps in their 

 nets, and have even been known to cut them carefully out and drop them to the ground. 



The British and European species of this family are usually of nearly the same general form. 

 'The females have a large ovate or globose abdomen, the basal part of which projects high over the 



