The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-09-13 00:00:00

THE SPIDER'S ART.

Upon the subject of the spider' art in spinning its web,
" Cultor " writes to The Times:—

"Sir,—Can any of your naturalist correspondents
explain the mystery of the spider's web? Every year
as the autumn comes round, three or four large speckled
gray and brown fellows with their mossy bodies and
crab like arms and claws make their appearance about
the ivy at my garden door. The nets they spread are
my morning admiration as works of amazing beauty
for variety and symmetry combined with extraordinary
strength and adaptation to the purpose and the place.
The windy days of late have considerably damaged
the sailor's rigging, butevery night he works hard, and
in the morning I find his toils are spliced and fresh
stays are run out to leaves and branches, and there he
site holding on, and perhaps slyly watching snug
under a leaf out of sight, or in the centre of his net
swinging with the wind, each claw steadying the
slender thread. This morning I was astonished to see
that he had made a heroic effort to maintain the fabric
of his airy castle. By some means, known only to
himself, he had run out a long stay at least Bft, in a
horizlntal direction and made it fast to the bough of
chestnut tree at about 81t. from the ground. This rope
is as straight and taut as possible, and of great thick-
ness. How did he do it?"

The above letter has evoked the following replies :
Sir,—As " Cultor " appears to be interested in the subject
of the spider's web and its mode ot construction, the follow-
ing facts may, perhaps, be of service to him and other of
your naturalist readers. -
- - -

All these insects, from the monstrous Mygale aviculgria
of South America downwards to the little money spider of
home, are furnished beneath their bodies with little vessels
termed "spinners," about four in number, each of which
possesses an immense quantity of minute tubes, which con-
tain the film or thread they spin.
From the observations of Lenwenhoek, Reaumur, and
others, we learn that the single threads, as they are
exuded from a tube, unite, forming a compound thread,
The four compound threads thus formed again unite at a
distance of about one-tenth of an inch from the body, and
the result is the thread we see.

The spider, when commencing to construct its web, will
affix or "glue '' the end of the thread to a leaf or other
object, after which it will proceed, guiding the thread with
its hind feet, to attach the film from point to point till a
rough circle has been completed. The centre is then filled
in with wonderful rapidity and accuracy.

The thread to which " Cultor " refers thrown out hod.
zontally was most probably exuded by the spider and
carried by the air to the point of attachment. To deter-
mine this with certainty the description of spider must be
known. The gossamer and other classes of spider will fre-
quently spin in this manner a thread from hedge to hedge
of a lane. White, the naturalist, and Dr. Martin Lister have
given instanceswhere they have seen the spider exude a thin
film into the air. When it has floated out a few feet, the
spider will bestride it till it is wafted to some neighboaring
object, where it will alight and fasten its thread. Dr. Halse
was, I believe, the first who observed this curious power of
locomotion possessed by the spider.

The manner of constructing the web, the power of aerial
motion, the degree of intelligence exhibited, iko., will, of
course, greatly differ in the different varieties of this insect.
—I am, Sir, yours obediently, CHAS. JAS. FERET, 63, West
Cromwell-road, South Kensington, London.

Sir,—l think I can inform your correspondent " Cultor
how it was that the spider contrived to fasten a web upon
a chestnut tree at 81t. distance, for the purpose of steadying
and strengthening " the fabric of his airy castle." He
makes a hollow web of a sufficient length to contain such a
quantity of air as will when rarefied by the sun at mid-day
bear him d /a balloon to a neighbouring hedge or tree, then
from the numerous orifices in his body (I believe there are
nine) he can make the staying rope as strong as he pleases.
Your correspondent will find that a spider was our first
aeronaut, and he will also find that the wind at the time
mentioned blew towards the chestnut tree to which the web
was attached.—Yours, &c, JOHN SWANWICK HINCKS,
67, 53, and 59, raimerston•builaings, Old Broad-street,
London.

Sir,—l would beg to suggest, as a partial answer to " Cal-
toes " question in The Times of to-day, respecting the
spider's web, that the main lines of which it is composed
must be of a weight very nearly corresponding to that of the
atmosphere. A day or two ago I observed, in the early
morning, such a line, which stretched across between two
standard rose trees in my garden, which were separated by a
distance of at least six feet. Its straightness attracted my
attention, and I examined it carefully; and, so far as my eye
would enable me to judge, it seemed perfectly horizontal.

I could not understand how any kind of pulling and haul-
ing would account for such a degree of tautness. I may
mention that the air was perfectly calm at the time.—
Yours truly, J. F. Clapham, Sept. 5.

LEGISLA.TION AND LUNG•WORK.
How much can "Parliament out of Session"
Help "Agricultural Depression ?"
As much by talk, mere talk, no doubt,
As when 'twas in, so now 'tis out.—Punch.