A RACE OF TELEGRAPHERS 15 
made to fit over the body of the spider so that it 
is held gently but firmly in such a manner that 
its legs cannot touch the thread of silk as it is 
spun. By lightly brushing the spinnerets a 
thread is started; this is grasped and pulled for¬ 
ward slowly and the little animal obligingly be¬ 
gins to spin. Silk is drawn from several spiders 
at the same time, and all are twisted by a me¬ 
chanical twister into a single thread of the 
strength desired before being passed on to the 
reel where it is wound.” 
“ Did you ever see the lattice spider, John? ” 
queried Auntie. “ I was reading about its odd 
little Oriental retreat just the other day. I’ve 
never noticed it here.” 
“ Because you didn’t look in the right place, 
probably,” her brother returned smilingly. “ I’ll 
venture there are plenty of them right in the ivy 
that climbs up to encircle your windows. Just 
as you peer out from your retreat, so do they 
from behind their lattices! They are fond of an 
osage orange hedge, too; in fact of any dense foli¬ 
age.” 
“ Tell us about them, please,” begged Tommy, 
“ and presently I’ll go and see if I can find 
any.” 
“ Well,” began Uncle John, in response to a 
nod and gesture from Auntie shouldering on him 
her share of the responsibility, “ in the first place 
