192 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 
gathered up between them the ordinary coil of silk thread. Then she 
stretched forward the two fore legs upon one side of her body and grasped 
the trapline just in front of her face, and bent the other two fore pairs of 
legs around toward the ball within which the insect was swathed and 
which was held well elevated within the mouth. The two bent fore legs 
evidently assisted in manipulating the food while the spider made a meal. 
This seemed as odd a posture as that assumed during the swathing of the 
fly. (See Fig. 185.) 
When the snare has been sprung and the spider wishes to tighten it, 
she does so by apparently first drawing upon the trapline with the fore 
feet, accomplishing the moyement after the manner of Epeiroids 
by placing one claw before the other, as a sailor ascends a rope 
hand over hand. At the same time, or immediately thereafter, 
she executes a similar movement with the two hind feet, only reversing 
the direction. It should be said that during the process of snapping the 
net, the hind pair of feet hold to the trapline and never let go until the 
spider abandons her position to visit the snare in search of prey. The 
third pair are also held in position, so that when the hind feet begin to 
pull backward, shoving hand over 
hand, so to speak, under the trapline 
Use of 
the Feet. 
amount of slack is formed between 
these feet and those of the third 
pair, which very soon rolls up into 
the coil of slack line which has just 
been described. It is thus quite pre- 
pared for another spring of the snare. 
I have observed the same peculiar use of the hind legs when the 
spider had occasion to raise herself from beneath upwards. Epeiroids 
: ascend a dropline head uppermost, pulling themselves hand over 
ene hand, and allowing a coil of thread to accumulate between the 
palps and the jaws. Hyptiotes, instead of turning and ascend- 
ing head foremost, mounts tail foremost, keeping her claws attached to 
the trapline and drawing herself up hand over hand, following the method 
by which she draws herself backward in order to tighten her snare. It 
presents a very odd appearance to see her ascending a dropline in this 
position, literally “backing” up it, although one is not so much struck 
with the oddity of it when he sees her recovering after snapping her 
snare, 
The Triangle spider has the habit of violently oscillating her web, 
just as do many of the Orbweavers; that is to say, she not only draws 
it back and forward by snapping her trapline, but shakes it up and 
down or to and fro. 
According to Professor Thorell, the males of Hyptiotes are extremely 
Fic. 185. Hyptiotes eating an insect. 
towards the point of attachment, an 
