70 Miscellaneous. 



proof might be added actual observ^ations of the use for foundations 

 of those lines stretched by air-currents. Three sunamer eveuings 

 were devoted to obtaining this result, without complete success. On 

 one evening the observer was interrupted and called off at the very 

 critical period of his observation ; on the other two evenings the 

 wind was unfavourable. But some valuable results were obtained, 

 and the webs of three adult individuals of Epeira striv, one male 

 and two females, were selected, the den or nest of each spider 

 located, and the web entirely destroyed, including the foundation- 

 lines. The latter precaution was made necessary by the fact that 

 orb-weavers had been noticed to use the same foundation-lines, for 

 many days, for the erection of their new webs. Young spiders had 

 been seen on several occasions to utilize the radii and foundations of 

 abandoned webs of adults as the frame-lines of their small orbs. 

 The great value which may attach to these old foundations appeared 

 strikinglj" in subsequent studies, and also the difficulty if not impos- 

 sibility of procuring suitable foundations for the webs of large 

 spiders without the aid of the wind. 



Two of the webs (one of the females') were so situated that the 

 prevailing air-currents so carried the lines that they could not pos- 

 sibly find an entanglement. In consequence, neither of these spiders 

 succeeded, during two entire evenings, up to half-past ten o'clock, in 

 making a web. They frequently attempted it in vain. One, which 

 was more closely watched, was in motion during the whole period, 

 passing up and down, from limb to limb, apparently desirous of 

 fixing her orb in the former site, but completely confused and foiled. 

 The site was one, moreover, which would have allowed her to carry 

 around a thread with comparative ease, being a dead sapling that 

 forked near the ground. The spider domiciled during the day on the 

 ground, but had her orb at the top of the forks, a height of G feet. 

 Thus the space to traverse in passing from the top of one of the 

 forks to a similar point on the opposite one presented comparatively 

 few difficulties. But no attempt was made to carry the line around; 

 and as the wind had evidently not changed during the night, no web 

 appeared upon the tree in the morning. During the next evening 

 the same restless movement along the bare limbs of the sapling 

 was repeated, and was terminated at a late hour by a rare accident. 

 A large moth, attracted by the lantern, became entangled upon a 

 single short thread strung between two small twigs, whereupon 

 E. strix pounced upon it, swathed and fell to feeding on it. Next 

 morning a tiny orb-web had been built around the shell of the moth 

 at the point of capture. 



During both evenings this spider at frequent intervals poised 

 herself at the extremity of twigs, and emitted threads from her 

 spinnerets Avhich entangled upon some of the short twigs, but never 

 upon the opposite fork, as the wind was steadily contrary. Xo 

 other entanglement was secured, as there was no object in the direc- 

 tion of the wind for a great distance. However, Dr. McCook could 

 at any time obtain an entanglement upon his hand by arresting the 



