go Mr. Bennetts Experiments on a new 
corner of a building, or amongst trees, the ends of the stick are 
smeared with varnish, and each end applied to the thread, 
which being turned round the ends of the stick, may be brought 
away : or several forked sticks may be placed in a room, where 
spiders are not disturbed, and they will soon attach their 
threads to them. 
When the thread is in this manner extended between the 
branches, the stick is placed upon the edge of a table, and in 
the sunshine, if possible, that it may be in a convenient posi- 
tion for attaching it to the needle and screw, by which it is to 
hang. The gold wire above mentioned is then dipped in var- 
nish, and applied to one end of the spider's thread, so as to 
entangle it in the varnish, which soon drying, the thread be- 
comes fast, and may be suffered to hang down, the upper end of 
the thread being yet fast to the forked stick. The point of 
the screw in the top piece is then dipped in varnish, and the 
upper end of the thread attached to it in the same manner. 
Lastly, the needle is gradually lowered through the opening 
in the top of the instrument, till it hangs opposite to the 
marked ivory : but if the thread be too long, it is easily 
shortened, by lifting up the top piece, touching the end of the 
screw with varnish, and turning it round, so as to wind the 
thread about it, till it will hang near the edge of the ivory : but 
to set the point of the hair at the end of the needle at a more 
exact distance, after the top piece is replaced, the screw is turned 
by its knob E, which raises or lowers the needle till it hangs 
right. A second method of raising or lowering the needle, 
with less trouble in the construction, is to use a small brass 
wire instead of the screw, which may pass through a cork ; or 
the ivory index may be made to rise and fall by means of a 
