Weavers and Spinners. 



In this snug retreat the little spider sits patiently head 

 downwards, with her sensitive foot upon the telegraph 

 line, awaiting the signal of the approach of prey ; for 

 directly an insect touches and becomes entangled in 

 any part of the snare, its presence is at once communi- 

 cated to the spider by the vibrations along the tele- 

 graph line. 



A remarkably clever snare is constructed by the 

 little Triangle or Snap-net Spider, which is rare in 

 England, but quite common in the pine woods of some 

 parts of North America. The little Triangle Spider 

 begins her work by laying down a strong foundation 

 line, and from this she stretches four long sector lines, 

 which meet in a point, and so form a triangle. These 

 four threads she then proceeds to connect by a number 

 of short lines, which, however, are not covered with 

 sticky bands like the orb web of the Garden Spider, 

 but are fluffed out by means of a number of short 

 spines on the spider's hind leg. To the point of 

 her triangular snare the spider now fastens a stout 

 thread, with the other end fixed securely to some object, 

 such as a twig, that is at a conveniently short distance 

 away ; and in this line the spider now takes up her 

 position, upside down, and clinging to the cord with 

 all her eight legs, hauls in the slack of it until the 

 triangular web is stretched quite tight, the loosely 

 coiled slack of the thread resting between her front and 

 hind legs. Directly the trembling movement of this 

 line tells the spider that some insect has struck her 

 net, she instantly lets go the slack with her forelegs, 

 and the web springs back, entangling the unfortunate 

 insect in its fluffy meshes. Should an unusually large 



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