









‘€ She glides along the 
Srail, swaying thread” 
on the slack thread, and with her palps 
rolls a portion of it into a small white 
ball, as a fisherman winds up his line 
when he hauls it in. At last the line 
pulls taut, and she seems satisfied that 
it is fixed at the farther end. Just 
where that may be she does not know, 
but she is ready to start on an explor- 
ing expedition to find out. Never did 
tight-rope walker perform a more dar- 
ing feat. With back down and head 
forward she glides along the frail, 
swaying thread, walking with six feet 
while with the last pair she holds tense 
the new thread that she is spinning. 
She speeds along so rapidly that you 
are half inclined to believe that she is 
floating through the air instead of run- 
ning along an almost invisible thread. 
40 
