The Life of the Spider 



that it takes the most unremitting attention 

 to follow it at all. The Spider reaches the 

 margin of the area by one of the spokes al- 

 ready placed. She goes along this margin for 

 some distance from the point at which she 

 landed, fixes her thread to the frame and re- 

 turns to the centre by the same road which 

 she has just taken. 



The thread obtained on the way in a broken 

 line, partly on the radius and partly on the 

 frame, is too long for the exact distance be- 

 tween the circumference and the central 

 point. On returning to this point, the Spider 

 adjusts her thread, stretches it to the correct 

 length, fixes it and collects what remains on 

 the central sign-post. In the case of each 

 radius laid, the surplus is treated in the same 

 fashion, so that the sign-post continues to 

 increase in size. It was first a speck; it is now 

 a little pellet, or even a small cushion of a 

 certain breadth. 



We shall see presently what becomes of 

 this cushion whereon the Spider, that nig- 

 gardly housewife, lays her saved-up bits of 

 thread ; for the moment, we wiU note that the 

 Epeira works it up with her legs after placing 

 each spoke, teazles it with her claws, mats it 

 236 



