34 THE STUDY OF INSECTS, 



small flowers (Fig. 36), and exhibit a slight degree of 

 regularity. 



Family THERIDIID^ (Ther-i-di'i-dae). 

 The Cobweb Weavers. 



Many are the kinds of webs spun by different spiders. 

 Some of them, as the orb-webs and the funnel-webs, delight 

 us with their wonderful regularity of form ; while others 

 appear to be a mere shapeless maze of threads. Such are 

 the structures whose presence in the corners of our rooms 

 torm.ent thrifty housewives, and which are disrespectfully 

 termed cobzvebs. 



The cobweb weavers (Family Theridiidce) are small 

 spiders with unusually shm legs. The space between the 

 eyes and the front edge of the head is greater than the 



Fig. 37.— Face of Fig. 38.— Foot of spider Fig. ^g.-^Mimetus 



house spider. with three claws. inter/ecior. 



region occupied by the eyes (Fig. 37); the eyes are in two 

 rows ; and the feet are furnished with three claws (Fig. 38). 

 This family includes many species, being in fact the largest 

 of all of the families of spiders. Figure 39 represents a 

 widely distributed species. 



Although the house spiders are the most familiar mem- 

 bers of this family, the greater number of species spin their 

 webs in the fields on bushes. These webs usually consist of 

 a flat or curved sheet, under which the spider hangs back 

 downward. This sheet is supported by threads running in 

 all directions to the neighboring objects. Frequently there 

 is a large number of these supporting threads above the web, 

 which serve the additional purpose of impeding the flight of 



