Weavers and Spinners. 



the prey. The spider's jaws are truly formidable 

 weapons of offence and defence, hard, sharp, and 

 pointed. Moreover, they are hollow, and have a tiny 

 hole near the needle-pointed tip, through which the 

 poison from a poison gland at the base of the jaw is 

 poured out when the spider fixes her fangs in her victim 

 or foe, as the case may be. The poison is extraordinarily 

 rapid in its action, for within a few seconds after the 

 bite has been administered the captured insect, even 

 a large wasp or a big gad- 

 fly, will be found quite 

 dead. 



One of the most strik- 

 ing objects to be found in 

 any quiet, sunny garden, 

 as summer begins to give 

 place to early autumn, is 

 the beautiful circular web or 

 snare of the female spider. 

 These wonderful orb webs, 

 or wheel webs as they are 

 sometimes called, are al- Spider's claw, 



ways the work of some spider of the Epeiridae Family, 

 to which our fat, handsome Garden Spider belongs. To 

 watch her actually at work upon the construction of 

 her web is a most interesting sight. Her first care is 

 to lay down the foundation threads which are to form 

 the boundary lines of her web. If she has selected a 

 convenient site where she can reach the necessary 

 points of attachment by walking along the intervening 

 surfaces, then her task will not be a very difficult one. 

 She will spread her spinnerets and rub them against 



