Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-11-01
=. SPIDER SHARES ITS PREY.
. ~ &c
,r n. Game In aSci"ntific Manner
ifapP .rres.rving FreSit Meat.

,.;,g nm old fern case, with sides
na,,9il rlass. we filed the bottom
'9I ,s eartb, placing few sticks firmly
si,l = =, vii. 50 that the spiders would
I ~ some projections to secure their
Nv 81 The first spider we placed in
81, se was very fine specimen,
~ IN ON the top of the abdomen.
~ COX :, her from an old laurel tree in
IN There were several young ones.
~ G,..t dav she remained crawling
iDe I'm the ground; but on looking
~ -, morning we found perfect web,
horizontally across the case,
- -, half way up; and on magnifying
4 ends Of the web that were fastened
l' .Se olass-which was very smooth
discovered the spider had frayed
,he ends IF the wcblines, and had
D.,oned them to the glass by means of
,ommy substance, thus giving it
'os,ar mower of adhesion than by
ZINC 10 single cord. We placed
NAL house-ny in the case, where it
'1 became entangled in the web, the
S;jer immediately rushing down, seiz-
and killing it. She then carried it
.-ibe top Of the glass, and in four
.;ortes had sucked ali the moisture
ant Of it. She then wrapped it loosely
,onnd with web, leaving only one line
,o S by which she carefully lowered it
Nv about two inches through a space
!. the net: then, cutting the line with
lar hind feet, she let it fall to the
ground.
,,,e three of which were speedily
ssnobt The spider having evidently
.s,en enough. she disposed of these
s;as in a different manner from the
fr,t. Running TO each in turn, she
mrned the fly rapidly round az ound
With her front legs; at the same time
two distinct webs kept winding round
The dy from the spinnerets, until twas
incased in such bag of web that the
Az could not be seen. She then hung
them in different parts of the web, eat
mo two Of them the same night.
Thinking the flies so wrapped up
would be air-tight, we detached one
from the web, leaving it exposed to the
air for three days. Although the
weather was very hot we found on
carefully opening the case that the
dead fy was quite fresh, and. when
smashed between the fingers, was in a
PERFECTLY Juicy condition This clearly
chow, their wonderful instinct in pre-
serving food for future meals.
One day we placed in the case a
srre meat fly, which Immediately flew
through the web, tearing it in de-
auctye manner. The spider at once
came down and repaired it, and in a
few minutes the II Y was once more in
The web struggling hard. This time
| he spider came within about half an
inch Of the fly, made a strong cord fast
70 three Of the outside lines of the net,
and then running quickly over the
back Of the fly She made the cord fast
% the other side On this cord we
noticed tiny beads hanging, of clear
| looking substance, which, as the fly
struggled, adhered to its wings, inn
pelug its movements. Leaving the
ty Tor nearly two minutes, by which
time he was nearly exhausted, the
/ spider once more drew near, and
quickly had him by the back. Sway
| by her body from side to side, at the
ame time she soon bound him with
three cords, which she guided about
over the fly with her hind feet in u
| wonderfully rapid manner. She then
pierced him on the side of the trunk,
from which place she did not again
loose until the fly was dead. Making
slight rcpast. She bound the remains
securely in the web for future meals
LQnaJS'S JOH17idi.