The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-17
= MAavELoU, LACE-wORKER.
A Study Of the Spider as 1t Spins Its
Web-The Legend of Arachne.
From P,.5fic ODfnion.

A Study Of the Spider as 1t Spins Its
Web-The Legend of Arachne.
From Pubic Opinion.
Everyone has noticed the cob webs which
hang upon each shrub and bush, and are
strewn in profusion over every plato g ass
on a fine morning in autu m; and, seeing,
who can have failed to admire? The webs,
circular in form, and then strung thick
with tiny pearls Of dew that glitter in the
sun. No lace is 50 fine. Could any be
wrought that could equal them IL their
filmy delicacy and lightness, it would be
| worth a princes ra som. But for SUCH
work mans touch is all too coarse. 1t Is
possible only to our hum Die garden spider,
| known to scientific people BY the more i'm
posing name EpeirG diadsUd These
spiders belong to the family of Ardchnid0;
and the ancients, who were great lovers
of beauty, observing their webs, invented
| the pretty fable of Arachle. Arachne was
maiden who had attained to su n expert
ness in weaving and embroidering that
| even the nymphs, leaving their groves and
! lou ItaIns would ttler to admire her work.
! They whispered to each other that Minerva
her-elf must have taught her; but Arachne
had grown vain as she grew dexterous. and
| overhearing them, denied the implication
| with hIgl disdain. She would not acknowl-
! edge herself inferior even to a goddess. aud
! finally challe ged Minerva to a trial of
! skill, saying: III beaten, will bear the
! penalty." Minerva accepted the challenge
| a I'd the webs we're woven. ArachIe'S was
| of wondrouS beauty, but when she sa " that
! Of Minerva she knew that she was defeated;
and in her despair, went and hanged herself.
| Minerva, moved by pity for her vain but
| sillIful opponent, transfer ned her iuto
| spider; and q and her descendants Still
retain portion of her marvellous gifts of
| spinning and weaving.
Now let US see how the garden spider
| uses It's inherited talent. Each indivual is
| endowed with spinneret, or natural spin
| ming machine, through which can be drawn
| innunerable strands, so fine that they
can be see only under powerful microscope
| (Leeuwe1hoecG claims That it takes 4,00O,-
OO0 of the 20 S rands to make a thread es
| thick as hair from mans head. First,
our spider begins to draw from out he
| spinneret cord of as many of these strands
| a seems to her good, and faStenS it to some
leaf or twlg, then runs on another leaf,
| splnnlng ali the while; fastenS again O tina
a ID to an )ther and another; continuing
until a circle is formed inclosing rs large a
| space as She designs for the outer boundary
| OF her web. linen she passes back and
forth over her work, adding fresh threads,
aud strengthening this outer line, which
she secures to every possible object.
|
| special care, and begins to run round the
circle, spinning as she goes; but now car
| ryl g her fresh thread carefully raised
| upon one hi d foot, thus keeping it from
| touching the older strands and becoming
| glued to the n, When ,lf-way round she
stops, pulls her thread, tight, fastens it very
| strongly, and a firm line is drawn straight
! across the center Of the circle. She runs
down this center line t. the middle, fasteas
| anothe thread to it there, carries 1t to a
| new point upon the outer edge, taste is it,
d we know see that she is engaged in
| making ChoSe lines in the we that look so
| IKE the spOkes of a wheel. She repeats this
! operation again and again til all the radii
| or spoEes are formed When they are done she
carefully tests each thread by pulling, to
maze sure that it is finn and strong; and if
| one proves unSltlSfact ry she either
| strengthens or re makes it altogether
| Now that the main lines are built. our
| spider goes once more to the center point
and begins to spln again-this time in cir
| christening to each radius as she
passes. At first These circles, or more
correctly spirals, are placed quite close to-
| get er, but she leaves ever wider and
wider space between as she approaches the
| outer edge. The outer circle ID the radii
| were spun of silk which becomes dry di-
rectly after leaving the spider'S body, and
is OF great strength and very firm; but these
splrals are formed of a substance whica diff
| ters essen tally. When first drawn from the
splnneret 1t is extremely gutinous-a m )st
| important property, as by this it is ablel
| to adhere tenaciously to the radii-and il is
besides, so highly elastic as to be capable of
being pulled lar out of place without break
| ing. When the spirals are finished. the
spider returns again to the center. and
proceeds to bite of the points of all the
radli close to the first encircling line, by
which she much increases the elastic ty of
her web. 1t Is in or beneath this cent. al
ope ing that the soidor usually sits and
watches for the )mlng Of her prey
But while these circular creations are
perhaps the most beautiful, thew are by
no means the only cob webs. You have
probably seel, or rather felt the long Cos
samer threads that so netlmes draw across
the face as one walks beneath the trees on
a summer evening At certain seasons they
are very numerous. They float Ill the air.
they fall upon the grass, they gather on the
| trees. These are all cobwebS
They are made by spiders, and
in manner so marvellous as to be al
| most incredible. The spider spins the siIi
from its splnneret, pushing it off into the
air. 1t is so light that it does not fall. 1t
rather rises in the air. 1t grows II longer
and longer tire I'd until it is carried by some
current against an object, often at a sur
! prIsing distance, to which it attaches itself
| This spiders slack rope is quite str np
enough to serve the little spinner as a
| bridge over which it can pass at its pleas
ure. Indeed, in tne tropics spi ier,' webs
are found of gigantic size, some lines even
spanning streams, and of a strength So
great that nu IL ming birds are git aud
held by tn m, as flies are by the cobwebs of
| our own land.