The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1897-08-10
STREET OF SPIDERS.
Curious DISCOVERIES MADE IN A
FLORIDA THICKET.

Immense Webs Woven by Yellow Spiders.
A Mysterious Disappearance Explained.
A Fruitlike Crab-Tricks of Nature Pro-
tect the DefenseIess.
Once, in attempting to force my way
through the thick bay cedar underbrush
Of one of the smaller and outer keys of
the Florida reef suddenly broke into
an opening which had the appearance
of narrow street or trail. The brush
was six or eight feet in height and re-
markably thick, and the heat was intol-
erable. The branches and leaves which
were interlaced formed perfect net
work and gave shelter to innumerable
crabs, which had taken possession OF
old birds nests, whil5 under foot tie
eggs and newly hatched terms almost
covered the ground
Once in the opening or street it was
| found to be about seven feet across,
winding away out of sight, but my way
was blocked by several curious obsta-
cles--a succession of webs stretched
vertically across the pathway at inter
walls Of five or six feet. They were OF
extraordinary strength and were thrown
out and poised in a marvellous manner.
In the center of each of these silken bar
riers elung huge yellow spider, SO ug'
ly ard conspicuous that l stopped be-
foreS tbs first doubling the evidence OF
nv eyes, and as l looked the first yell
low spider of the series disappeared.
There was no doubt about it. AT first
so striking and gaudy, it slowly faded
away, and through the web could see
other yellow spiders beyond, suggest
ing that it was no illusion.
While l stood wondering in the hot
sun the spider solved the mystery by
appearing again, first dimly, then like
many spiders quivering in the strong
light, finally resolving itself into one
huge yellow fellow that moved like a
pendulum to and fro and then stopped
touched it gently with a switch held,
whereupon it deliberately began 70
| swing its huge body, imparting to the
;. entire web a vibratory motion which
increased in rapidity until the body OF
the spider began to grow fainter, and
in few moments became invisible. 1t
> was all very simple when understood.
U The spider when alarmed began to
swing, gradually increasing the motion
9 until it disappeared or could not be fol-
9 lowed by the eye. Thinking the case
t might be exceptional, l again touched
a the spider, and again it literally swung
n itself out of sight.
Crawling beneath the web, l con
fronted the next spider, which also was
. yellow or saffron in color, with black,
|, velvetlike markings, hanging in the
sun like a great topaz, its web dottec
Is with the remains Of many feasts-emp
ty skeletons of insects, bits of pearly fisi
"a scales, perhaps dropped by some pass
% ing bird, delicate feather and q mot
- ley array of flies and other insect folk
= At first the spider paid me scant atten
Ie ton, then I saw slight convulsiv'
O. movement Of its legs as it impaired tn
IT first long swing to its hammocklik
II web that put this wonderful life savinl
!. device, for this it was in motion.
n was the SPIDERS defense and protection
4 from enemies.
Certain birds undoubtedly preye
aS upon the spiders, and this faculty c
as mysteriously disappearing had on NOR
than one occasion served it we'll
re could easily imagine the astonishmer
I'd Of the bird when darting down to sei2
the plump and snowy spider to find tht
Of it had slipped away.
There was much in this street OF ye
low spiders to distract the mind frol
the intense heat that poured down trol
the almost vertical sun. In the midd
ay of the path, beyond turn, grew
olump of cactus, with here and there
ca ripe fruit rich in the purple of full M
a. turity--a brilliant contrast to the gree
- leaves. AS / stood watching the herm
/, crabs dropping from the bushes al
ia scurrying away over the sand / thougl
I saw ripe fruit of the cactus NOV
Ter then, to my amazement, it passed q
rs. rectly out Of sight, not after the fas
in ion Of the spiders, but by slipping aroul
one Of the big leaves. Ialmost expect
(, to see the others follow it, but nothil
~ Of the kind occurred. walked alol
and placed myself in position to
ire behind the broad, fat, pear shaped lee
There was the purple object, now mo
ler ing cautiously around with the evide
intention Of keeping itself out Of sigf
md and then / saw that it was a crab,
-, crab with a purple back the exact ii
'Hs Of the fruit, while its general shaI
when the legs were tucked IN bsnsa