On the Threads of Spiders Webs. 171 



the strands need not be allowed to approximate to form the rope ; 

 so wind after wind, the exquisitely delicate floss-silk-like strands 

 were stretched over the surface of the glass slip — evident to the 

 naked eye by an iridescent appearance. These strands being 

 directly across the slip at right angles to its long axis, would be 

 very close together, even if not often touching each other, so on 

 another slip a variation was made, by tilting the slip sideways as it 

 was turned to receive the strands ; the brush of minute filaments, 

 which had a tendency to approximate, was now made to diverge, 

 and spread out on the surface of the slip into a sort of fan-shape, 

 and this arrangement may be seen on the slide under the Micro- 

 scope. From the very small portion visible under a magnifying 

 power, the effect is, that the minute filaments are parallel, like 

 harp-strings, to which they bear no small resemblance, but in- 

 spection will show that this mass of filaments has by the device 

 named been rendered divergent. 



There was now no difficulty in covering all the remaining slips 

 with these separated components of the spider's thread, and, as 

 might be expected, these slips showed, on after examination under 

 the Microscope, every variety of combination by which the infinitely 

 small filaments combined to make up a manifestly substantial 

 cable ; so that, taking the number of teats bearing the ordinary 

 spinning-tubes to be four, there would be seen the four strands 

 making up the cable, and in another part the ultimate filaments of 

 which these strands were composed. 



I am glad all these things can be shown on the slip under the 

 Microscope ; they look exquisitely beautiful by any mode of lighting, 

 but under dark-ground illumination, the effect of hundreds of silver 

 wires of marvellous delicacy is charming beyond expression. 



It may be stated that at the end of the experiment, Epeira, 

 whose patience had been rather severely taxed, was let down 

 near to the ground, when, the haste with which he severed his 

 thread and scampered off, was evidence that his quietude in mid- 

 air was more a matter of prudence than inclination. 



An identical mode of obtaining a division of the thread was 

 employed in the case of a very small spider which has the habit of 

 lowering itself from ceilings, the trivial name of which is " Money 

 Spider." The results obtained were very similar, the thread was 

 seen divided into its component parts, but how many parts it 

 would be difficult to say, for the difficulty now became to find these 

 ultimate filaments ; it was evident that they were there, but so fine 

 as to require a careful illumination and a fine high-power objective, 

 with very careful touches of the " fine adjustment," to make them 

 out, and then they looked very much like very finely ruled micro- 

 meter fines irregularly spaced. 



It is rather important to notice one portion of the conclusions 



