64 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK.,. 
again escaped. unseen, ran in between some stones a foot distant, and dis- 
appeared. The wasp beat about as before for five minutes, and gave up 
the chase. 
The wasp seemed to have more staying powers than the spider, but the 
latter made up for this by hiding and resting. The spider would hide until 
the wasp spied it or came near; it would also rest under its web, hanging 
thereto, but. never stopped elsewhere longer than a second or two, except 
on the two occasions when it entirely left the web. The wasp nearly caught 
the spider a number of times; it certainly must have touched it five or 
six times, but could never get a firm hold. 
When the spider hid, the wasp started 
to search over arid under the leaves, and 
seemed very keen sighted. The spider 
did some excellent dodging over the edge 
of its web and over the leaves, but never 
attempted to double upon its track. The 
wasp was always in motion; the spider 
hid and rested when it could, and seemed 
to know pretty well where its pursuer was 
and when it was seen by her. ‘The wasp 
tried several times to get over the web 
at the spider, but without success. Sey- 
eral times the spider escaped by slipping 
through its web. The wasp evidently depended on sight alone; the spider 
on sight and, as the observer believes, largely on the vibration of the air 
and of the web. 
Fic. 46. Snare and nest of Epeira beccarii. 
1a 
The tendency of orbweaving spiders to develop the hub of their snares 
into a tubular passageway between the orb and the nesting tent has been 
referred to as characteristic of Epeira labyrinthea, (See Vol. L., 
A Tube- page 141.) The Messrs. Workman! have noted and figured 
ae another illustration of this, which is even more decided than 
weaver, that displayed by the Labyrinth spider. Epeira beccarii Thorell 
was found in considerable numbers growing at the side of the 
Deli Road, about two miles from Singapore. Their snares (Fig. 46) are 
dish shaped horizontal orbs, with the concavity upward. The hub is ele- 
vated into a cornucopia like shape, the top of which is slightly curved. 
About half way up this tube the egg cocoon is placed. Below the snare 
is a network of retitelarian lines larger than the orb, which is eight inches 
in diameter. The central tube reaches a length of three inches. It is 
braced to the surrounding twigs and leaves and thus kept upright. 
1 Malaysian Spiders. By Thomas and M. E. Workman, Belfast, Ireland, 1892. 
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