SPIDERS 113 



Does it swath the fly's body with silk ? Does it carry the fly to 

 its nest or to another part of the web to eat it ? 



A grade higher in point of symmetry of construction are the 

 snares of the funnel- web weavers. These webs (fig. 71) are 



Fig. 71, A fuunel-web (after Emerton). 



spun in the grass of meadows, pastures, gardens and roadsides, 

 and because of their lowly and obscure situation they do not 

 usually appear to be very abundant; they are, in fact, the most 

 abundant of all webs. We are often surprised to find, some dewy 

 morning, the grass nearly covered with glistening spider webs. 

 This abundance of webs is revealed to us by the tiny drops of 

 water, which clinging to the silken threads, reflect the sun's rays 

 and make the otherwise almost invisible webs, very conspicuous. 

 It is desirable to choose a dewy morning or the first hour 

 after the lifting of a heavy fog for spider web hunting. The webs 

 are not only easily found then but they are then specially beauti- 

 ful. The funnel-webs are horizontal concave silken sheets sup- 

 ported in the grass by strong silken lines or cables attaching 

 to the grass stems and blades. They have at one side a fun- 

 nel shaped tube running downwards and opening near the ground. 

 The spider lies in hiding in this tube, and from it runs out upon 



