68 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 
branching twigs. As with the former individual, so with this; many efforts 
were made to obtain foundations by sending out threads from the spinner- 
ets, and to this end he tried most of the numerous points of the twigs coy- 
ering the territory which he seemed to haye chosen as his general range. 
One of these, a little pendant, which hung in the centre of the group, 
was taken as the basis of a most interesting operation. The spider dropped 
from the pendant by a line three or four inches long, grasped the 
line by one of the second pair of feet, and rapidly formed a tri- 
angular basket of threads by connecting the point of seizure with 
lines reaching to the feet of the remaining second leg and the third and 
fourth pairs. (See Fig. 64.) In this basket he hung head upward, the 
body held at an angle of about 45°, the two fore feet meanwhile stretched 
out, and groping in the air, as though feeling for the presence of obstruc- 
tions, of enemies, or of floating threads. At the same time he elevated his 
spinners and emitted a line which was drawn out 
at great length by the air, but secured no en- 
tanglement. The body of the spider had a gen- 
tle lateral oscillation that appeared to the observer 
to result from a voluntary twisting of the central 
rope by the animal, but may have been caused 
by the air; the effect was to give the output line 
a wider swing, and much increase the chance of 
entanglement. 
However, there was no entanglement, and the 
spider dropped several inches further down and 
repeated the process as described above. ‘This was 
H1G. Of, ‘The swinging basket used yeneated again and again, and when I allowed the 
ng trial cables. 
line to attach to my person the spider at once 
proceeded to satisfy himself of the fact, and then to venture a crossing. 
In all these actions there were evidences of an habitual mode of securing 
transit by bridge lines. Since the first observation of this most interest- 
ing habit I have frequently seen the construction of these “baskets” or 
“hammocks” by adults of various species, and for a similar purpose by 
baby spiderlings reared indoors and colonized. 
I had supposed, for several years, that the observation and record of 
this use of a swinging basket was original with myself, until one day read- 
ing Master Jonathan Edwards’ description of flying spiders. I 
The Ob- was surprised there to note that this remarkable character, when 
ee but a child, had probably anticipated me by one hundred and 
pated. sixty years. I quote his lahguage, and reproduce his rude fig- 
ures, which while perhaps leaving the matter in doubt to the 
ordinary reader, will doubtless satisfy an arachnologist that the nimble- 
witted lad really saw this interesting habit: “I have been so happy as very 
frequently to see their manner of working; that when a spider would go 
Swinging 
Baskets 
— — . < 
