210 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 
extremity to the centre of the orb, and at the other to a cavity in the 
rocks, D, at which the aranead had her den. The line CC undoubtedly 
served as a trapline and a sort of bridge along which the spider moyed 
from her snare to her nest. But its general appearance and structure sug- 
gested the idea that it was braced by the line BB, and acted as a stay to 
the orb itself. 
I was inclined to think that this peculiar spinningwork showed an 
effort of the spider to brace a snare peculiarly exposed to winds. It may 
be, however, that the line B was an abandoned foundation line, or was one 
of those tentative threads which spiders are often spinning, and that its 
connection with the trapline was either an accident or afterthought. Per- 
haps, indeed, it might have been intended to increase the communicating 
power of the trapline. 
The fact is, one is very apt, by an unconscious anthropomorphism, to 
attribute to the humblest creatures of the fields methods of reasoning and 
principles of action which have no existence in the inferior ani- 
aan mals, and are simply the reflections of a higher intellect upon 
, nae “the works of a lower one. The naturalist must continually be 
on his guard against thus attributing to the creatures whose 
habits he is studying methods which in like circumstances would have 
been suggested to his own mind. 
An illustration of this is quite in point. I have at various times met 
suggestions that especial engineering skill is shown by spiders in protect- 
ing their snares from the effects of wind or other violence of the natural 
elements, by the use of sundry objects as counterpoises. Although I had 
little faith in the theory, it seemed to me entitled to careful examination. 
Once while walking along a graveled path bordered on either side by 
shrubbery, I saw what exactly corresponded with reports of so called en- 
gineering spinningwork. A large orbweb blocked the entire pathway be- 
fore me. The foundation lines were strung across the walk and supported 
upon the bordering shrubbery, but a large pebble hung to the bottom of 
the web. It was nearly two inches above the surface of the ground, and 
my first thought was, here now is a case that confirms the opin- 
A Case ofion that spiders support their orbicular snares with weights in 
na niga order to balance them against the wind! Kneeling upon the 
ground, I made a careful survey of the premises, and came to 
the conclusion that there was no special intention in the case at all, but 
that the uplifting of the pebble was a matter of accident. ‘The spider had 
run down. her supporting lines to the ground, as is her invariable custom 
when spinning in a similar site; but, not having a tuft of grass or like 
material whereon to fasten the lines, she stuck them upon one of the 
pebbles scattered over the walk beneath. 
Now the pebble lay but loosely in its artificial matrix, and when the 
wind rose and played upon the orbweb, bellying it somewhat, and when 
eee ae re = 
