Spiders 



however, we must qualify our statement. The silk from 

 these hinder spigots remains sticky and forms the gummy 

 threads in the snare, upon which insects are actually 

 held as a bird upon bird-lime. 



It is in the construction and design of their snares that 

 spiders display their greatest ingenuity. Let us, therefore, 

 consider a few typical snares, beginning with the well- 

 known orb of the garden-spider. In outline the orb is, 

 usually, roughly circular, but, whatever its shape, we 

 notice that it is bounded by threads obviously stronger 

 than the rest. These are the so-called foundation lines 

 on which the structure is built up. Running to the 

 foundation lines there are a number of radii at more 

 or less equal distances apart. Binding the radii together 

 there is a silken spiral, covered with minute sticky 

 globules, but, towards the centre of the orb, the radii 

 are joined by very fine non-sticky threads, forming an 

 irregular spiral. At its centre is the hub, either an empty 

 space or a number of scattered threads. 



Let us try to find a spider at work, that we may see 

 how the wonderful orb is constructed. This is by no 

 means difficult, for, in the summer, when the spiders are 

 most active, new orbs are constructed every day. The 

 mother spider does all the work of orb-weaving, whilst 

 the male lurks in the vicinity buoyed up by the hope of 

 favours to come in the shape of prey which he may be 

 able to snatch from his spouse's orb during some moment 

 of her unwatchfulness. The laying down of the founda- 

 tion lines, the threads upon which the whole safety of 

 the orb depends, is a source of considerable anxiety to 

 the mother spider. Great care is taken in the selection 

 of suitable positions to which these lines may be affixed. 

 She presses her spinnerets against some solid support 

 she has selected, then walks away, drawing out her silken 

 thread as she goes, holding it the while with one of her 

 hind feet so that it may not catch on any object which 

 may lie across her path. 



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