~~ 
PROCURING FOOD AND FEEDING. 249 
dropped into the snare. Vertebrata at once rushed towards these, but find- 
ing by her touch that they were dead matter, instead of leaving the ob- 
d jects she drew them towards her with her feet, passed them to 
‘her lips and palps, where they were held a moment until bit- 
ten entirely free from the lines. Then” the fore feet were reached up, 
and by a sharp snap of the claws the pieces were thrown downwards 
out of the web. In this case, also, the Orbweaver was deceived. But very 
generally she is able to distinguish between an artificial agitation and that 
produced by an insect. At least, I have frequently failed to draw a spider 
from her retreat by my most skillful manipulation of her snare. 
Blackwall is probably correct in his suggestion that the pulling mo- 
tions which I have described are intended 
to determine whether objects entangled in 
the toils are animate or inanimate.! At 
all events, it is true that by jerking the 
radii immediately in connection 
Deceive 
hae of with that part of the snare in 
oe which the insects are entangled, 
Jerking. - 
and then suddenly letting go 
their hold, the spiders produce a vibra- 
tory motion in the net which seldom fails 
to excite action in the ensnared insect. 
Guided by the struggles of her prey, the 
Orbweaver runs along the most contiguous 
radii to seize her victim, avoiding contact 
with the viscid lines as far as possible, and 
drawing out after her a thread attached to 
one of the lines near the centre of her 
net, which serves to facilitate her return. 
The manner in which insects are cap- 
tured may be observed at any time, and 
yet one may venture to describe the meth- 
od. When. the insect strikes the viscid spirals, one or more legs and one 
or other or both of the wings, or an antenna are usually first to 
Fig. 227. Epeira revolving captured fly while 
enswathing it. 
aera : feel the viscid grasp of the beads. The insect, at once arrested by 
ire ea * the blow, begins to struggle, and finding itself fettered increases its 
efforts to be free. Sometimes, particularly if the viscid quality of 
the beads be somewhat abated or the entanglement be slight, the insect suc- 
ceeds in escaping. This occurs more frequently perhaps than is ordinarily 
supposed. Very often, however, the struggles only result in fastening the 
victim more securely by bringing additional portions of the body into contact 
with the spirals. Sometimes the insect will strike broad on in its flight, or 
’ Blackwall, “Researches in Zoology,” page 289. 
