SPIDERS, 351 



shall first watch the proceedings of the gossamer 

 spider. 



Finding no current of air on any quarter of the brim 

 of the glass, it seemed to give up all hopes of con- 

 structing its bridge of escape, and placed itself in the 

 attitude of repose; but no sooner did we produce a 

 stream of air, by blowing gently towards its position, 

 than, fixing a thread to the glass, and laying hold 

 of it with one of its feet, by way of security, it placed 

 its body in a vertical position-, with its spinnerets ex- 

 tended outwards; and immediately we had the pleasure 

 of seeing a thread streaming out from them several 

 feet in length, on which the little aeronaut sprung up 

 into the air. We were convinced, from what we thus 

 observed, that it was the double or bend of the thread 

 which was blown into the air; and we assigned as a 

 reason for her previously attaching and drawing out 

 a thread from the glass, the wish to give the wind 

 a jwint (Vapjnii — something upon which it might 

 have a purchase, as a mechanic would say of a lever. 

 The bend of the thread, then, on tbis view of the 

 matter, would be carried out by the wind, — would 

 form the point of impulsion, — and, of course, the 

 escape bridge would be an ordinary line doubled. 



Such was our conclusion, which was strongly 

 corroborated by what we subsequently found said 

 by M. Latreille — than whom no higher authority 

 could be given. " When the animal," says he, 

 *' desires to cross a brook, she fixes to a tree or 

 some other object, one of the ends of her first threads, 

 in order that the wind or a current of air may carry 

 the other end beyond the obstacle;"* and as one end 

 is always attached to the spinnerets, he must mean 

 that the double of the thread flies off. 



* " L'un des bouts de ces premiers fils, afin que le vent 



ou un courant d'airpousse I'autre extremity de l'un d'eux au 

 de liidel'obstacle.". — Diet. Classiqued'Hist. Nat., vol. i.p. 510. 



