6 A GUIDE FOR THE STUDY OF ANIMALS 



6. Holding the spider aloft in your fingers, allow it to 

 drop upon the thread it will spin, and watch it climb and 

 spin. Record the number of the spinners, their situation, 

 and how they act. Are the threads sticky } If so, why 

 doesn't the spider stick to its web ? Is the web used for 

 a home or for a snare ? 



7. Try to discover how the feet are enabled to cling to 

 the thread. 



8. Examine a cocoon, noting its outer form and struc- 

 ture, and look for an opening at the top. If you can open 

 a cocoon carefully with scissors, look for its two coats and 

 inspect its contents. 



9. State three uses for the spider's silk. 



10. What is the work of spiders amongst the animal population of 

 the earth, or of what use are they ? 



1 1 . Out of doors find webs of various kinds : wheel web, tent web, 

 triangle web, etc. 



12. How do the jumping spiders differ from others in their spinning 

 and feeding habits ? 



13. Look up what is meant by ballooning spiders. Find out when 

 ballooning occurs and what is accomplished by it. 



Suggested drawings. 



a. The entire spider, seen from above. 



b. A cocoon. 



THE LIVING CRICKET 



Materials. 



Living crickets in cages, with materials for food and con- 

 cealment, and individual specimens in wide-mouth bottles 

 or vials with cotton stoppers. 



Observations. 



I. What is the average size and the general color of 

 crickets t 



