The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-10-21
The Spitior as a Sailor.

We all know that there are so-called
"water SPIDERS" but these are boatmen
or rowers rather than sailors, for they
spread nothing that can take the place
of canvas. Some land spiders, how
ever. do set sail, and run before the
wind over a still eXpanse Of water.
How they do it is explained by Meri-
deth Nugent in our animal friends,
June, as follows:
The spider uses his silk for variety
of purposes. There are the wonderful
| little balloon spiders who send forth
their silken threads into the air, and
when all is ready launch themselves
out on the breeze to seek new lands,
new countries. The distances these
| little aeronauts have been known to
travel is remarkable. Darwin saw
them clinging to the yard arms of a
vessel on which he was a passenger
when sailing sixty miles from land,
and authenticated instances are re-
corded of their boarding ship when
two hundred miles out at sea. How
great distance they can actually trav-
ell in this way is not known, but ii
would not be surprising if they cros-
sed from continent to continent in
their aerial flights. It was reserved
for DR.. McCook, however, to discover
a mode of locomotisn used by some
spiders, but previously unknown to
naturalists. When studying the
habits of certain water spiders he
shook the branches of tree that stood
by the wateT's edge in order to procure
specimens. A number of spiders fell,
and all travelled back to shore in ways
familiar to the doctor, with the excep.
ton of one spider which seemed to
move across the surface of the water
without any motion of its legs. When
it approached the shore, the doctor
placed it far out on the pond egain
and watched it more closely. In a few
moments it resumed its peculiar mode
of travelling. and he saw positively
that it did not use its legs. How, then
did it cross the water? The gentle
breeze blowing against its body could
hardly have driven it at the rate il
was going; for that it was moving
along at fairly good pace war eviden.
ced by the littls riplets which streamed
out on either side of the circle of rigid
legs. It occurred to the doctor that
peahaps this little mariner was sailing
under an invisible sail; in Other
words, that perhaps the spider had lei
out number of siken threads az the
aeronaut spiders do; and that, instead
of carrying it through the air, they
caused it to skim rapidly ouer the sur
face of the water. AS the curious lit
tie chap approached the land again
the doctor held his cane out about two
feet above the spider. In a moment i
came to halt. The mystery wa'
solved; as be had suspected, the tiny
craft was really sails, and as they came
Into contract with the Doctors cane
they adhered to it 80 firmly that by.
sudden movement of the stick th'
spider was lifted clear out of the water
1t is just possible that a gossame
thread runs from the tip of each leg t
the one next it thereby forming dim
|inutive silken float for the spider II
stand upon, but of this there is no Ger
tainty. However, we could hardly asl
for anything more wonderful than
spider that is sailor, and his own sal
boat and his own sail maker, all II
one.