The Life of the Spider 



The experiment, though repeatedly re- 

 newed with different subjects, gave me no 

 other results. Distrustful of a web dissimilar 

 to her own, if not in structure, at least in stick- 

 iness, the bold Banded Epeira shows the white 

 feather and refuses to attack the Cross Spider. 

 The latter, on her side, either does not budge 

 from her day shelter in the foliage, or else 

 rushes back to it, after taking a hurried glance 

 at the stranger. She here awaits the coming 

 of the night. Under favour of the darkness, 

 which gives her fresh courage and activit}', she 

 reappears upon the scene and puts the intruder 

 to flight by her mere presence, aided, if need 

 be, by a cuff or two. Injured right is the 

 victor. 



Morality is satisfied; but let us not con- 

 gratulate the Spider therefore. If the invader 

 respects the invaded, it is because very serious 

 reasons impel her. First, she would have to 

 contend with an adversary ensconced in a 

 stronghold whose ambushes are unknown to 

 the assailant. Secondly, the web, if con- 

 quered, would be inconvenient to use, because 

 of the lime-threads, possessing a different de- 

 gree of stickiness from those which she knows 

 so well. To risk one's skin for a thing of 

 328 



