A RACE OF TELEGRAPHERS 7 
lutely indifferent to any but the proper sum¬ 
mons, and then, in most instances, it rushes up 
at a great rate, quickly spins out a winding-sheet 
or shroud and binds the hapless victim securely, 
when it may be eaten at the victor’s leisure. It is 
said that spiders of the larger and more intelli¬ 
gent species usually go over their nets once a day, 
and cut the ropes entangling any ‘ meat ’ that 
may not be strictly fresh, letting it fall to the 
ground. The web is then repaired and every¬ 
thing made ready for future business. 
“ Most spiders live in deadly fear of the mud- 
dauber (wasp). He is the little spiderling’s 
nursery bugaboo. I read an amusing instance the 
other day. It seems that a certain student of the 
spiders’ habits determined to play a trick on an 
orange garden spider that he had on his visiting 
list. Dropping around to the lady’s headquar¬ 
ters, he quietly deposited a live wasp in her great 
snare.—Don’t ask me how he caught the vindic¬ 
tive creature: I don’t know!—Instantly Madame 
Miranda—the family name of this species—came 
hurrying at the summons, but ere she was quite 
upon her prisoner she saw his character. No 
doubt she was quite thunderstruck! For she 
stepped back and eyed her enemy warily; then, 
evidently reassured by her natural confidence in 
the strength of the entangling meshes, she moved 
forward cautiously, and without making any ef- 
