336 



INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



nal spinerets, wWch may be seen by the naked eye 

 in the larger spiders, in the form of five Uttle teats 

 surrounded by a circle, as represented in the figure 

 below. 



Gm'den Spider CEpeira diadema), suspended hy a thread proceeding 

 from its spinneret. 



We have seen that the silken thread of a cater- 

 pillar is composed of two united within the tube of 

 the spinneret, but the spider's thread would appear 

 from the first view of its five spinnerets, to be quin- 

 tuple, and in some species which have six teats, 

 so many times more. It is not safe, however, in our 

 interpretations of nature to proceed upon conjecture 

 however plausible, nor to take any thing for granted 

 which we have not actually seen; since our inferences 

 in such cases are almost certain to be erroneous. 



