114 On North American Spiders. 
mediately, upon its being exposed to the air, turns to a dry substance, 
and exceedingly rarifies and extends itself. Now if it be a liquor, 
it is hard to conceive how they should let out a fine even thread, with- 
out expelling a little drop at the end of it; but none such can be dis- 
cerned. But there is no need of this; for it is only separating that 
part of the web 0 ¢, Fig. 2, from a 6, and the end of the web is al- 
ready out. Indeed, Sir, I never could distinctly see them do this: 
so small a piece of web being imperceptible among the spider’s legs. 
But 1 cannot doubt but that it is so, because there is a necessity that 
they should some way or other separate the web a b, Fig. 3, from 
their tails, before they can let out the web bc. And then I know 
they do have ways of dividing their webs by biting them off, or in 
some other way. Otherwise they could not separate themselves 
from the web a b, Fig. .3. 
Lee And this, Sir, is the way of spiders going from one tree to anoth- 
er, at a great distance; and this is the way of their flying in the air. 
And, although I say Iam certain of it, I don’t desire that the truth 
of it should be received upon my word ; though I could bring others 
to testify to it, to whom I have shown it, and who have looked on, 
with admiration, to see their manner of working. But every one’s 
eyes, that will take the pains to observe, will make them as sure 0 
it. nly those, that would make the experiment, must take notice that 
it is not every sort of spider that is a flying spider, for those spiders 
that keep in houses are a quite different sort, as also those that keep 
in the ground, and those that keep in swamps, in hollow trees, and 
rotten logs ; but those spiders, that keep on branches of trees a? 
shrubs, are the flying spiders. They delight most in walnut tee 
and are that sort of spiders that make those curious network poly- 
gonal webs, that are so frequently to be seen in the latter end of the 
year. There are more of this sort of spiders by far than of any 
other. 
“ But yet, Sir, Iam assured that the chief end of this faculty; that 
is given them, is not their recreation, but their destruction 5 because 
their destruction is unavoidably the effect of it; and we § . 
nothing, that is the continual effeet of nature, but what is of the meals 
by which it is brought to pass. But it is impossible, but that the 
greatest part of the spiders upon the land should, every year; be swept 
into the ocean. Jor these spiders never fly, except the weather ® 
fair and the atmosphere dry ; but the atmosphere is never clear, ne” 
ther in this nor any other continent, only when the wind blows frot 
