186 



INTRODUCTION TO ZOOLOGY chap, xm 



The central dry platform she leaves unaltered, and there 

 is often a fairly wide space between this and the viscid spiral 

 (Plate I.). Sometimes the spiral is incomplete, a sector being 

 left with no threads between the spokes. 



The spider may often be seen resting on . the central 

 platform of her web, but more often she leaves it, carrying 

 with her a separate thread which she has fixed at the centre. 

 When she reaches some safe retreat — perhaps under some 



leaves close by the web — she sits 

 there, with her foot on the signal 

 line which she has carried with her. 

 A strong vibration of this will 

 mean, probably, that some insect 

 has been caught in the snare, and 

 she will then hurry out to investi- 

 gate. 



If the victim caught 

 of Prev ^^ * small one, it is at 

 once killed by a bite 

 from the poisonous jaws, and 

 carried off to be eaten at leisure. 

 If, however, it is too big and for- 

 midable to be treated so sum- 

 marily, the spider approaches 

 cautiously, cutting away some of 

 the web if necessary, until the 

 victim is dangling on a thread or 

 two. She will then touch it 

 carefully with one extended leg, 

 and set it spinning round, and 

 as it passes, fix on to its body a 

 broad band of fine silk threads 

 , „ . , . emitted by the spools, and wind 



Fig. 118. — A Spider wrapping ., . "i, ^ ,., '., . 



silk round a dangerous victim! '* ^^P '^'^ ™ese until it IS quite 



(After Grant Allen.) helpless, and can be seized with 



impunity (Fig. 118). Sometimes, 



when a dangerous insect, such as a wasp, gets entangled, the 



spider will set it free by biting away the threads all round it. 



The male spider, as has been said, is smaller 



Spider ^^'^ the female, and generally lives more in the 



background. Indeed his life is in constant danger 



