156 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK, 
It loves the neighborhood of water, but is found distributed widely: 
throughout the meadows and in the foliage of bushes and low trees. Its 
snare is of a delicate texture, finely spun, as a rule, but oftentimes short 
and straggling. It is placed either in a vertical, horizontal, or inclined 
position, but its general habit is horizontal, and with this class of Orb- 
makers I have placed it. It is armed with a pair of formidable jaws, whose 
immense teeth and long fangs would appear to give it a great advantage 
in its conflicts with enemies and efforts to secure food. 
In construction the orb of Tetragnatha extensa, as well as all other 
species of the genus, corresponds very closely with that of the Orchard 
spider. The hub is open, and a series of notched concentries follows; then 
comes the free space; then the spiral space, the foundation space, and the 
foundation lines. 1 
The position of Tetragnatha is underneath the central part of her 
snare. Her body is usually stretched across the open hub. The legs do 
not radiate from the body at open 
; angles, but are drawn very 
Position ¢lose to the cephalothorax 
ae at the fore part, and to the 
abdomen at the hinder part 
of the body. The fore feet clasp the 
radii at or beyond the notched zone, 
or one foot holds fast to a line which 
is stretched to the under part of the 
web and bows downward to the foot. 
Fic, 148, Tetragnatha outstretched beneath the hub The abdomen, as in the case of the 
Seen: Orchard spider, is hitched by a sim- 
ilar line to the orb. In this position the spider sometimes swings almost 
free from direct contact with her snare. The fore legs touch’ or approx- 
imate near the middle, and the feet are curved outward. In spite of its 
somewhat awkward appearance, Tetragnatha is remarkably lively in its 
movements. 
When alarmed, Extensa runs down into the weeds or grass, and stretches 
herself along the stem on which she has found refuge. Her legs hug 
her body closely, even more closely than when suspended to her web as 
just described. As her entire body is of a greenish yellow color, not 
greatly different from that of the plant, it is somewhat difficult to distin- 
euish her from the stem on which she rests. This peculiarity is well 
known among observers of the species wherever it is found, and is cited 
as one of the examples of protective form mimicry, 
1 Description of Orbs. No. 1. Vertical; 5x4 in.; n. 2, 4x in.; fz, #x fin; hub irregu- 
lar meshed work. No.2. 5x5 about; f. z, 4 to }in.; hub open, with few irregular threads. 
No. 3. Nearly vertical; 3 n. sp.; r. 16; sp. 21 below, 15 above. No.4. Horizontal; 45 x 5 in.; 
r. 22, sp. 13 and less above ; n.z, $x $;f2.,4x {5 open hub. Nos. 5, 6,7. Orb inclined about 45° ; 
small, 3 to 5in. in diam. Several orbs 2 in. diam. 
