INSECTS AND THEIR NEAR RELATIVES. 
37 
ning the thread as it goes, and holding it clear of the object 
on which it is walking by means of one of its hind legs. 
When the second point is reached the thread is pulled tight 
and fastened in place. 
After making the outer framework the radiating lines 
are formed. A line is stretched across the space so as to pass 
through the point which is to be the center of the orb. In 
doing this the spider may start on one side, and be forced to 
walk in a very roundabout way on the outer framework to 
the opposite side. It carefully holds the new line up behind 
it as it goes along, so that it shall not become entangled with 
the lines on which it walks; one or both hind feet serve as 
hands in these spinning operations. The spider then goes 
to the point where the centre of the orb is to be, and fast¬ 
ening another line there, it walk back to the outer frame¬ 
work, and attaches this line an inch or two from the first. 
In this way all of the radiating lines are drawn. The next 
step is to stay these radii by a spiral line which is begun at 
the center, and attached to each radius as it crosses it. The 
turns of this spiral are as far apart as the spider can con¬ 
veniently reach, except at the center of the web. All of the 
threads spun up to this stage in the construction of the web 
are dry and inelastic. The spider now proceeds to stretch 
upon this framework a sticky and elastic line, which is the 
most important part of the web, the other lines being merely 
a framework to support it. In spinning the sticky line the 
spider begins at the outer edge of the orb, and passing 
around it fastens this line to each radius as it goes. Thus a 
second spiral is made. The turns of this spiral are placed 
quite close together, and the first spiral, which is merely a 
temporary support, is destroyed as the second spiral pro¬ 
gresses. Figure 41 represents a web in which the second 
spiral is made over the outer half of the radii. In this fig¬ 
ure, aa represents the temporary stay-line; bb, the sticky 
spiral; and cc } the fragments of the first spiral hanging from 
the radii. 
