THE TRIANGLE SPIDER loi 



prisoner, she retreats to her post and resignedly 

 stretches the line again, waiting a more truthful 

 signal. When an insect suited to her needs actu- 

 ally becomes entangled in the trap of the triangle 

 spider she snaps the slackened thread once, twice 

 or three times. Again that bewildering vibration 

 of the web ! Is there any possible escape for the 

 prisoner? Running down the line and out on the 

 web to the place where the struggling insect clings, 

 the spider soon has it enswathed in silk. Round 

 and round she wraps it, spinning out silk enough, 

 one would think, to weave many webs. 



In each capture the whole of the triangle is 

 usually destroyed except' the top thread extending 

 between the main support and the vertical guy- 

 line. The spider retreats to this remaining thread, 

 bearing the bundle, now past recognition, to a 

 place of safety. One would think the main busi- 

 ness after securing a dinner would be the eating 

 of it, but this does not always begin at once with 

 the triangle spider. She keeps on wrapping and 

 rewrapping her prey long after there is any appar- 

 ent reason for it, turning it over and over, walk- 

 ing under and over and around it. Experience has 

 probably taught her that her prey is safer inside 

 of many tight silken bandages than tied loosely in 

 a few fine threads. 



"There's a dead hemlock down by the Fall 

 Brook road that's just full of triangle spider 

 webs !" So I announced to the Professor one day 

 in midsummer. 



