112 



On JVorth American Spiders, 



In very calm and serene days in die forementioned time of year, 



standing at some distance behind the end of a house or some 



other 



opake body, so as just to hide the disk of the sun and keep off his 

 dazzling rays, and looking along close by the side of it, I have seen 

 a vast multil^ude of little shining webs, and glistening strings, brightly 

 reflecting the sunbeams, and some of them of great length, and of 

 such a height that one would think they were tacked to the vault 

 of the heavens, and would be burnt like tow in the sun, and make a 

 very beautiful, pleasing, as well as surprising appearance. ' It is won- 

 derful at what a distance, these webs may plainly be seen. Some 

 that are at a great distance appear (it cannot be less than) several 

 thousand times as big as they ought. I believe they appear under 

 as great an angle, as a body of a foot diameter ought to do at such 

 a distance ; so greatly doth brightness increase the apparent bigness 

 of bodies at a distance, as is observed of the fixed stars. 



" But that which h most astonishing, is, that very often appear 

 at the end of these webs, spiders sailing in the air with them ; which 

 I have often beheld with wonderment and pleasure, and showed to 

 others. And since I have seen these things, I have been very con- 

 versant with spiders,; resolving if possible, to find out the mysteries 

 of these their astonishing works. And I have been so happy as very 

 frequently to see their manner of working ; that when a spider would 

 go from one tree to another, or would fly in the air, he first lets 

 himself down a little way from the twig he stands on by a web, 

 as in Fig. 1 ', and then, laying hold of 

 it by his fore feet, and bearing himself 

 by that, puts out a web, as in Fig. 2, which 

 is drawn out of his tail with infinite ease, 

 in the gently moving air, to what length 

 the spider pleases ; and if the farther end 

 happens to catch by a shrub or the branch 

 of a tree, the spider immediately feels it, 

 and fixes the hither end of it to the web 

 by which he let himself down, and goes 

 over by that web which he put out of his 

 tail as in Fig. 3. And this, my eyes have 

 innumerable times made me sure of. 



" Now, Sir, it is certain that these webs, when they first proceed 

 from the spider are so rare a substance, that they are lighter than the 

 air, because they will ascend in it, as ihey will immediately in a calm 



