The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1891-08-07
HOW A SPIDER SHARES ITS PREY.
Trapping It's Game In Scientific Manner
Preserving Fresh Meat.

Having an old fern case, with sides
and top all glass. we filled the bottom
with earth, placing 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 very fine specimen,
marked on the top of the abdomen.
We took her from an old laurel tree in
| which there were several young ones.
| The first day she remained crawling
about on the ground; but on looking
next morning we found 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 the spider had frayed
out the ends of the weblines, and had
fastened them to the glass by means of
a gummy substance, thus giving it a
greater power of adhesion than by
trusting to a single cord. We placed
small house-fy in the case, where it
soon became entangled in the web, the
spider Immediately rushing down, seiz-
ing 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 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
eaten enough, she disposed of these
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
incased in such bag of web that the
fly could not be seen. She then hung
them in different parts of the web. eat
ing 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 fly was quite fresh, and. when
smashed between the fingers, was in
perfectly juicy condition. This clearly
shows their wonderful instinct in pre-
serving food for future meals.
One day we placed in the case a
large meat fly, which Immediately flew
through the web, tearing it in de-
structive manner. The spider at once
came down and repaired it, and in a
few minutes the fly was once more in
the web, struggling hard. This tina
the spider came within about half an
inch of the fly, made strong cord fast
to three of the outside lines of the net,
and then running quickly over the
back of the fly she made the cord fast
on the other side. On this cord we
noticed tiny beads hanging, of clear
looking substance, which, as the fly
struggled, adhered to it's wings. inn
peding its movements. Leaving the
fly 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
ing 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
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 repast, she bound the remains
securely in the web for future meals
Chaan6ers's journal.