Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-05-06
About Spiders.

PERHAPS none OF the numerous SPlQer
family offers so many facilities for the
accurate observation of her life and
| habits as the common garden spider
| (EDeira dsadema) Fixing her dwelling
between the branches OF the smaller
bushes and shrubs, or between the rail
ings of the garden, or, better still, in a
| sly corner in front of some convenient
window, she affords easier opportunities
for daily observation than any other va
riety She is not at all particular which
side of the window is selected, as she
seems to thrive equally well whether in
side or out, only losing, when inside,
that brightness of color which distin-
guish the open-air dweller. Construct
ing beautifully-formed circular, or, as
it is sometimes called, geometric, net
across pane of glass, her every move
ment can be studied with advantage
| From the center of the work run radiat-
| ing lines like the spokes IF wheel, at
| tached at the outside end to long and
much stronger lines, usually of a triangu-
lar shape, stretching from one side of
| the woodwork of the pane to the other.
These radiating lines are again crossed
by another set of concentric circular
threads, at gradually-widening intervals,
making, altogether, when finished, a
piece of work of more delicate texture
than any dainty lady's embroidery. So
| wonderfully fine, indeed, are the mate
rails of which it is made, that thread
| only just visible to the naked eve has
been proved, by some of the best etomol-
ogists, to have been spun out OF a thou
sand strands issuing together from the
spiders spinnerets and tubes, the COM
paratively coarse threads of the house
strands. From the center of the web of
the garden-spider to her hiding place, in
one of the upper corners of the window
pane, runs a strong, cord-like gangway
or passage, only connected with the main
work in the middle With her feet rest
ing on one end of this connecting rope
she feels the slightest vibration of the
net when fly is caught, rushes to the
center, feels with her feet on which of
the strands the fly is entangled, and
darts at once to the place, and soon fin
ishes her victim. The spider is evident
ly guided to her prey more by touch than
sight.
The SPIDERS touch, how exquisitely fine
Feels at each thread, and lives along the line.
Unlike the common house spider
(ATG1sea homestead, which rushes straight
at her prey and drags it at once in her
mouth into her den, to be killed and
eaten in darkness, the geometric spider,
even if a fly be caught near her hiding
place, runs first to the center to discover
the whereabouts Of her prey Unlike the
house spider, too, she kills the fly on the
web where it is caught, the rapid death
of the victim showing the virulence of
the SPIDERS poison, which is distilled into
the wound through hollow fangs like
those of a serpent If the fly be small
one-say a nudge and lies perfectly
still when caught, the spider will feel all
the strands in the center round and
round two or three times before finding
on which part of the net the little tit-bit
lies. When a wasp is caught, if the
spider cannot see her way to safe blow
she will either weave her enemy in a
stronger mesh and wait till the wasp is
almost dead from exhaustion, or, if her
network be in danger OF being all broken
up by such a strong intruder, she will
cut the threads that hold it and let her
dangerous customer go. There is little
black fly, shaped like an ant, but smaller,
often caught in one of these circular
nets, which frequently escapes by wrig-
Cling itself clear Whether it is fur
nished with some sharp weapon of de-
Tense, or has the power some beetles are
well known to possess, of emitting
pungent essence against it's enemies,
would be difficult to determine; but
when she finds she has caught
Tartar. and either allows it to
wriggle itself free or waits at a conYen-
lent distance until the fly is completely
exhausted by its struggles. Unless the
fly killed on the open web be very
S1IldIl OlIC, LIlC p1OCI OOCS uOb
carry her prey to her den in her mouth
but wraps it up in bundle in kind of
sling, and runs to her lair with her vic
tim hanging down behind her-cleverly
preventing the loosely-hung bundle from
getting entangled on the way. Deposit
ing the booty at the entrance of her tun-
nel-shaped home, she quietly enjoys her
meal, sucks the body dry, usually re-
moving all traces of her recent slaughter.
When another spider appears upon the
scene. however, her demeanor is very
different. Gathering as many strands of
her web as possible in her sawlike claws
which, when magnifed, look proper
tionately much more formidable than
those of ion-she gives them violent
shake, when the intruder generally
"cuts" and runs. If the invader declines
to move on when thus warned, but shows
fight instead, it is, curious to mark the
cautious way they approach each other,
evidently conscious the fight means death