The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-08-29
THE SPIDER.

WOULD YOU lIustSluo GlAStI Uuc SpAuCA
is fun finished with eight crooked legs,
two arms. six or eight eyes, and the
head with two claws or feelers? A lit
tie below the point of the claw there is
small hole, through which the insect
emits a poison; though really harmless
to us, it is powerful enough to destroy
flies and other small insects. The
spider is supplied within its body with
a glutinOus substance which it uses for
the purpose of making its web. It
spins out this glue into fine thread,
which it.fastens upon some object, and
then strains it across to some other
point, doubling and twisting it until it
makes the thread strong enough for its
purpose. It is said that the thread
spun by the smallest species of these
insects is SO small that 100000 of
them put together would not be larger
than one of the hairs on your head!
Some writer gives the following de-
scription of this wonderful spinning
machine: "On the under side of the
SPIDERS body are four or six little
points, no larger than the point of u
pin These are the places where the
silk is prepared. When the Pider
wishes to spin thread. it presses these
points with one of its legs, and there
appears, not one but thousand
threads, of such fineness that it is only
when all are united that they become
visible to the naked eye. Thus the tiny
rope of the spider is composed of four,
five or six thousand silken threads
AS soon as the spider has completed
its web, its care is to seize and secure
whatever insect happens to be caught
in its meshes. These victims are to be
the spiders food, and it often remains
for weeks, and even months, upon the
lookout without even catching single
tiv. have sometimes watched large
spider as he was engaged in securing
his prey. He seems to know, in what
ever part of the web he may be, when
fly or other insect strike the web. In
moment he darts at the fly and Sc
cures it firmly by spinning a long
thread, which he winds round and
round his victim, so that it is impossi-
bic to get away. The spider has sort
of sting in his fore feet with which he
strikes the insect in his web and poi
sons him to death. This is the reason
why one often sees such hard struggles
and apparently great pain when an in
sect is secured.
Last summer had fine 0pportun-
ity to watch the operation of a spider
in the country, and although had in
my childhood, and even in the later
years, not q very great liking for this
insect, really became quite fond of
L;.,, II hoe ofton hoen . urpat n,1zz1Q
to me, as l have no doubt it has been to
many of you, to tell in what manner the
web could be carried from one tree to an
other, often at long distances, and l will
tell you what conclusion 1 had arrived
at; l thought that the spider must 60 to
the top of one tree, fix one end of his
web there, then go down the tree, cross
over on the ground to the other tree,
90 up that-spinning his web all the
way-when he reaches the top pull it
straight. This was the only way
could think of for this insect to get his
line across. 1t never occurred to me
that such an arrangement would be
quite impossible. But having made
careful observations, in this case of
which speak, am persuaded that the
spider improves favorable wind, and
floats in the air from one high place to
another, spinning his web as he goes.
Just think of this little weaver, work
ing without compass or line of any sort
and yet as accurately as if he had all
the implements in the world to work
with. Oftentimes, to test the strength
Of his line he pulls at it with great Wig