Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-08-09
TRAPPING IFS Prey.
How . Spider SHARES FILES in . Scientific
Manner.

-
Manner.
Having an old fern case, with sides
and top all glass. we filed the bottom
with earth, placing a few sticks firmly
in the soil. so that the spiders would
have some projections TO secure their
webs to. The first spider We placed
in the case was q very fine specimen,
nicely marked on the top of the abdo-
men. We took her from an old laurel
tree, in which there were several
young ones. The first day she re-
manned crawling about on the ground;
but on looking next morning we found
a perfect web. spun horizontally
across the case, about half way up;
and on magnifying the ends of the web
that were fastened to the glass-which
was very smooth-we discovered that
| the spider had frayed out the web
lines, and had fastened them to the
glass by means OF gummy substance,
| thus giving it a greater power of ad-
hesion than trusting to a single cord.
| We placed small house-fly in the
case, where it soon became entangled
in the web, the spider Immediately
rushing down, Selling and killing it.
! She then carried it to the top of the
| glass, and in four minutes had sucked
all the moisture out of it. She then
wrapped it loosely round with web,
leaving only one line to it, by which
she carefully lowered it for about two
inches through a space in the net; then
cutting the line with her hind feet, she
| let it fall to the ground.
After this we placed four flies in the
case, three of which were speedily
caught. The spider having evidently
flies in a different manner from the
| first. Running to each in turn, she
turned the fly rapidly round and
round with her front legs; at the
same time two distinct webs kept
winding round the fly from the
spinnerets, until it was encased in such
a bag of web that the fly could not be
seen. She then hung them in differ
ent parts of the web, eating two of
them the same night. Thinking the
flies so wrapped up would be air-tight,
we detached one from the web, leav-
ing it exposed to the air for three
|
hot we found on carefully opening the
case that the dead fly was quite fresh,
and, when smashed between the
fingers, was in perfectly juicy con-
ditiOn. This clearly shows their won
derful instinct in preserving food for
future meals.
One day we placed in the case a
large meat fly, which Immediately
flew through the web, tearing it in a
destructive manner. The spider al
once came down and repaired it, and
in a few minutes the fly was once
more in the web, struggling hard.
This time the spider came within
about half an inch of the fly, made q
strong cord fast to three of the out
side lines of the net. and then running
quickly over the back of the fly she made
the cord fast on the other sides. Or
this cord we noticed tiny beads hang
ing, of a clear-looking substance,
which, as the fly struggled, adhered
to it's wings, impeding it's movements.
Leaving the fly for nearly two min
utes, by which time he was nearly ex-
hausted, the spider once more drew
| near anu quIChiy Iltu AIul ny JIG DttCh.
Swaying her body from side to side, at
the same time she soon bound him with
three cords, which she guided about
over the fly with her hind feet in a
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. Max
ing a slight repast, she bound
the remains securely in the web for
future meals Chambers Journal.