Garden Spiders: Pairing and Hvmting 



stiddness of the network. Before going to 

 it, she first makes her prey turn in the converse 

 direction to that of the original rotation. Her 

 ohject is to free the nearest spokes, which 

 supphed pivots for the machinery. They are 

 essential factors which it behoves her to 

 keep intact, if need be by sacrificing a few 

 cross-bars. 



It is done; the twisted ends are put baA 

 into position. The well-tru»ed game is at 

 last removed from the web and fastened on 

 behind with a thread. The Spider then 

 marches in front and the load is trundled 

 across the web and hoisted to the resting-floor, 

 which is bodi an inspection-post and a dining- 

 halL When the Spider is of a species that 

 shuns the hght and possesses a telegraph-line, 

 she mounts to her daytime hiding-place along 

 this Une, with the game bumping against her 

 heels. 



While she is refreshing herself, let us 

 enquire into the effects of the litde bite pre- 

 viously administered to the silk-swathed 

 captive. Does the Spider kiU the patient with 

 a view to avoiding unseasonable jerks, pro- 

 tests so disagreeable at dinner-time? Several 

 reasons make me doubt it. In the first place, 

 307 



