SPIDERS— WEB-BUILDING-. 
211 
replacing it by another. Next it glues, immediately round 
the centre, five or six small concentric circles, distant about 
half a line from each other, and then four or five larger ones, 
each separated by the space of half an inch or more. These 
last serve as a sort of temporary scaffolding to walk over, and 
to keep the radii properly stretched while it glues to them the 
concentric circles that are to remain, which it now proceeds to 
construct. Placing itself at the circumference, and fastening its 
thread to the end of one of the radii, it walks up that one, 
towards the centre, to such a distance as to draw the thread 
from its body of a sufficient length to meet the next. Then 
stepping across and conducting the thread with one of its hind 
legs, it glues it with its spinners to the point in the adjoining 
radius to which it is to be fixed. This process it repeats until 
it has filled up nearly the whole space from the circumference 
to the centre with concentric circles, distant from each other 
about two lines. It always, however, leaves a vacant interval 
around the smallest first spun circles that are nearest to the 
centre, and bites away the small eottoh like tuft that united all 
the radii, which being held now together by the circular threads 
have thus probably their elasticity increased ; and in the cir- 
cular opening, resulting from this procedure, it takes its station 
and watches for its prey, or occasionally retires to a little apart- 
ment formed under some leaf, which it also uses as a slaughter- 
house . 1 
According to Buchner, — 
The long main threads, with the help of which the spider 
begins and attaches its web, are always the thickest and strong- 
est ) while the others, forming the web itself, are considerably 
weaker. Injuries to the web at any spot the spider very 
qtfickly repairs, but without keeping to the original plan, and 
without taking more trouble than is absolutely necessary. 
Most spiders’ webs, therefore, if closely looked into, are found to 
be somewhat irregular. When a storm threatens, the spider, 
which is very economical with its valuable spinning material, 
spins no web, for it knows that the storm will tear it in pieces 
and waste its pains, and it also does not mend a web which 
has been torn. If it is seen spinning or mending, on the other 
hand, fine weather may be generally reckoned on. . . . The 
emerged young at first spin a very irregular web, and only 
gradually learn to make a larger and finer one, so that here, as 
everywhere else, practice and experience play a great part. . „ 
Thompson, Passions of Animals , p. 145. 
i 
