30 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 
own habits in their own way; or if he wish, he may deposit all those of 
one species upon certain parts of the ground, in which case they will be 
very sure to permanently colonize. In this manner the most 
interesting species of an entire neighborhood or district may, in 
the course of a couple of years, be so thoroughly domesticated 
upon a small space that observation of habits will be greatly facilitated. 
There are many other points of practical value which might be men- 
tioned,;~but, as a matter of fact, the collector’s experience will soon show 
him what is the best thing to do. A few failures in capturing prizes 
will teach caution, and successes will in like manner show the best way 
of procedure. Caution is always necessary. While looking for spiders one 
needs to move with his eyes thrown well in advance, and to be careful 
to disturb as little as possible the bushes and surrounding shrubbery, 
upon which the greatest prizes may be domiciled and may be lost by 
careless or too rapid approach. 
In searching for spiders, one should take such a position toward the 
sun as to enable the light to fall upon the webs in the direction towards 
which he is moving. Frequently the head should be turned to 
one side and lowered towards the ground in order to catch the 
sheen of the spinningwork hanging in secluded places, or even 
in quite open places. A soft black hat or something that will be a good 
substitute therefor, is a necessary part of the spider collector’s outfit, 
Placed behind a web, it brings out all its white lines clearly, and one can 
thus study the structure with greater ease. 
As a rule the evening is the best time to observe the netmaking 
habits, and, indeed, many other habits of the spider fauna. Some species 
begin to spin early in the evening, as early as four or five o'clock. 
Others are rarely found abroad until a later hour. These actions, 
however, are always more or less conditioned by the weather. 
During the night spiders are nearly always out upon their webs, and by 
means of a lantern one can make good collections and observations after 
nightfall. A dewy morning is perhaps the best time of all for finding 
webs. Provided with a stout pair of shoes or rubber boots, one may 
tramp through the dew laden fields of a summer morning, and find 
myriads of webs, great and small, of all species, hanging from every part 
of bushes, trees, grasses, weeds, and even spread in great multitudes upon 
the fresh soil of an upturned field. At such times the Orbweavers will 
not always be found upon their webs, at least certain species of them can- 
; not conveniently be out, but the character of the webs can thus 
Marking }e readily perceived, and the habitat of the spider known. Little 
Leese «pile at hould be carried in the satchel, and they may b 
ine its of paper shou e F y may be 
fastened upon twigs in the neighborhood of the webs which thus 
are well located. A little slit in the centre of the patch of paper, thrust 
over a forked twig, will stay for many days, and will at once mark the 
Natural 
Spidery. 
How 
See Webs. 
