SPIDERS. 147 



During the struggle, the silken cord whereby the cocoon was 

 attached to the spider's body broke ; immediately she seized it 

 with her jaws, and a tremendous struggle ensued, during which 

 the spider, together with her treasure, was buried beneath the 

 sand, from whence, however, she was extricated ; but nothing 

 would induce or compel her to quit the dangerous locality where 

 she had lost, apparently, everything that she held dear. 



The Orbiteles,* or Net-spreading Arachnidans, construct 

 their nets with regular meshes, concentrically arranged, and sup- 

 ported by straight cords that radiate from the centre, where the 

 spider awaits the result of his labours, generally holding on to the 

 web with his head downwards. No sooner is an insect caught in 



FIG. 156. FOOT OF SFIUEK. 



the toils, than the spider, sometimes placed in the centre of her 

 net, sometimes ensconced in some special hiding-place situated 

 in a corner of the web, rushes upon her victim, and endeavours to 

 pierce it with her murderous fangs, and thus instil into its body a 

 drop of the subtle venom with which they are armed. Should 

 the imprisoned fly offer anything like a vigorous resistance, or 

 should its strength appear formidable, she retires for a short time, 

 till it is either exhausted by its struggles or becomes helplessly 

 involved in the meshes of the net ; as soon, however, as she per- 

 ceives there is nothing to fear, she at once envelopes her prey with 

 coils of silk, so as entirely to conceal it from view. The eggs of 

 these spiders are very numerous, agglutinated into a mass, and 

 enclosed in a voluminous cocoon. The radiating lines of these 

 webs are used by opticians in the construction of micrometers : 

 they are so elastic that they may be stretched one-fifth of their 

 length. 



The next group of Sedentary Arachnidans, instead of always 

 walking forwards like the preceding, can walk sideways or back- 

 wards equally well ; they are, therefore, called 



* Orbis, an orb or disk ; tela, a web. 



1C 2 



