The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-13
SPIDERS NIGHTCAP.
A CURIOUS PRODUCT OF INSECT Ia
Dor IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

and His Ingenious Method OF Construct
ing . Spider Silk Factory.
"What In the world does the Fiji island
er do with such large nigbtcaps" was
remark overheard in the British museum
In London. AS soon as the speaker moved
on stepped forward to the glass case into
which he had been looking, and there,
sure enough, was nightcap which for
size might easily excite an exclamation of
surprise from the most expectantly curious,
for IL was nearly four feet long.
What was more interesting to me, how
ever, was the fact that this very curious
nightcap had been woven by spiders, and
naturally l began to wonder how these
bright little creatures had gone TO work to
weave it, That they had had any inten-
ton of making such an odd shaped object
was too absurd to believe for moment,
but that this nightcap was composed of
spider silk was apparent from Ats beautiful
light gossamer texture.
sought an explanation for it from one
of the professors connected with the mu-
scum, who, while giving me the informa-
ton / wanted, took the nightcap out of
the case and handed il to me so that l
could examine il closely. What first inn
pressed me was the almost total absence
of weight, for it hadn't any to speak of.
Again, / was surprised Mt the thickness OF
the material, for whereas in the case IL
looked as though it had but very little
body. now that held it in my hands l
saw that it was nearly an inch thick.
While gazing with admiration at the
spiders wondrous handiwork l learned
from the professor how it was made. 1t
appears that when the Fiji islander wants
one of these nightcaps he makes light
framework of sticks and places it in
very dark corner where he knows there are
plenty of spiders. This is actually all that
the native does toward making his night
cap and leaves the rest to the spiders, be-
Ing quite sure that through their indus
trious efforts the spinning will be done for
him. The tropical spiders are much more
lavish of their beautiful silk than our
northern species, so that when the natives
rude framework is placed In their midst
they at once set to work to cover up the
sticks with silk of lightest gold, nor do
they cease working until the framework is
completely hidden. Not even then do they
stop if there are still other places In which
to spin their webs. To spin is their nat
in their way they work 1t over In silk as
they do the natives framework.
How long it takes the spiders to make
one of these nightcaps the professor could
not tell me, neither could he tell me just
how the framework was made, although
he thought it probably consisted OF three
light sticks. We turned the cap almost
inside out in an endeavor to find some part
of the framework, but not particle was
to be seem In color it was of q rather
dirty white, but think this was due to its
many travels Like the speaker who first
attracted my attention TO this nightcap,
wondered what the Fiji islander did with
it. However, the professor had no infor-
nation to give on this point.
Very little is known about this cap be-
! yond the fact that it was made by spiders,
and that il was presented to the museum
by that we'll known traveller and writer,
Miss Gordon Cumming.
To find a means of using spider silk for
manufacturing purposes has long been an
object of interest to many scientific men
J The almost innumerablc difficulties they
| have met with. however, have so far proved
! insurmountable. In the first place, it was
| found impossible to procure enough nat
ural insect food To feed the vast multitude
| of spiders which would be required TO fur
nish the silk. Eventually this barrier was
overcome and in chopped worms was found
diet which spiders thriyed upon. The
! natural combativeness of the members OF
the spider family is another serious diff
Guilty for they cannot be trusted near one
another without fighting. Numerous ex-
periments that have been made in trying
to keep large numbers of spiders together
have resulted in continual warfare among
these savage little creatures, in which
great numbers were slain and eaten by the
stronger members of the community.
A great deal of ingenuity has been ex'
hibited by scientists in their efforts to dis
cover a method of getting the silk directly
from the living spider and not from the
cocoons. As far back as 1859 the Able
Raymond de Termeyer labored indus
| triously in this direction and to q certain
extent met with considerable success. Ht
invented an odd looking contrivanct
which held the spider family In place on
little stand. In appearance 1t reminds ont
of the old stocks of Puritan days, for thu
spiders head and legs protruded through
one side, giving it the appearance of di
minutive culprit undergoing severe punish
ment for some offense.
The spider was placed in this position
, which did not hurt it in the least, so tina
} It's legs could not interfere with the threa'
while it was being drawn away from 1t
} body. just back of the spider the abb
placed little reel on which to reel tn
silk The most ingenious conception of tn
! whole idea occurred when the able wishe'
to begin reeling The spider was securel
3 fixed in the stocks, as it were, but wa
0 had to be thought out as to how TO Undue
: the spider to spin out its thread. The abb
hit upon an idea as simple rs 1t was In
genious. 1t consisted merely of giving th
captive spider fly, which the creatur
. ! quickly seized with its feet and jaws.
Z, AS the spider in its natural haunts wa
I used to Immediately open its spinneret
{ and throw out threads just as soon as
/ captured an insect, so now, on being fed
G fly, the spider unconsciously throw on
( threads as If TO swathe the fly. The END
i Of these threads were then quickly fastene
$ to the reel 10y the quick witted able. Tn
{ was then slowly turned and the sill
Y wound off as with the silkworm's cocoon
From time TO time we read Of varior
articles which have been made from spid'