SOME LOWER ANIMALS 247 



bring to school different kinds of spiders, and put them into 

 jars or cages. Feed them and observe their interesting 

 habits. Spiders may be found in attics, cellars, sheds, 

 and barns, on garden flowers, on fences and old walls, 

 under stones and boards, under the bark of decaying 

 logs, etc. In these places will also be found small, 

 round masses of eggs wrapped in silk cocoons. These 

 also should be gathered and allowed to hatch out in the 

 school. 



There are many kinds of spiders, and each has its 

 peculiar ways of catching prey, building a home, etc. 

 Under stones, logs, and bark, are found ground and 

 running spiders, which are very nimble and catch their 

 prey by running. On old fences and walls are found 

 spiders that lurk for insects, and when these come near 

 enough they suddenly pounce upon them. These are 

 the jumping spiders. In the heart of many garden 

 flowers there lie in wait certain spiders that assume 

 the color of the flower, and catch unsuspecting butter- 

 flies and other insects. These, from their peculiar shape 

 and the habit of running sideways and back- 

 wards, are called crab spiders. They do 

 not spin webs to catch their prey. 



But there is another class of spiders that 

 spin snares with which to entrap flies and 

 other insects. These webs are of different de- p,g ^^ j^^ q^^^ 

 grees of beauty and perfection of construction. Weaver. 



The housewife is worried by the appearance of cobwebs on the 

 ceilings and in the comers of her rooms. This is a web spun 

 by a spider. Cobwebs have no definite shape or plan. They 

 are simply loose or dense, tangled masses of fibres spread out 



