A RACE OF TELEGRAPHERS IT 
at the world about it. Smaller species of the 
lattice spider are often found in the foliage of 
trees. They are especially fond of placing their 
small orbs between two lobes of an oak leaf, with 
their tiny silken latticed tubes suspended from 
another part of the same leaf under a little tent 
formed of lobes.” 
“ Another odd spider mentioned in the article 
I spoke of,” said Auntie, “ was the ‘ medicinal 
spider/ I suppose we have it for a neighbor, 
too, John? It is a stout, short-legged, oddly- 
marked gray spider, which lives among rocks, 
hollow stumps, and decaying trees. Its snare is 
a sheet web, with a funnel-like retreat. Time was 
w r hen physicians counted on this web as a narcotic 
for use in time of fevers.” 
“ There are spiders and spiders,” resumed 
Uncle John. “We could write a whole book 
about them and still leave much unsaid. One of 
the first things you will observe about these little 
craftsmen is that spiders, like birds, are carefully 
clothed in protective or defensive colors. Nature 
has made them harmonize so well with their back¬ 
ground, that they cannot be readily seen, either 
by their enemies or by their prey. A species of 
the crab-spider clan has this adaptive faculty 
worked out to a fine point. It actually changes 
its color to harmonize with its background! But 
then crab-spiders are an odd lot. You will read- 
