The Portland daily press., 1899-10-26
sKILLFUL RESULTS.
Reoults of an Investigation OF the In
teiligcnee and Mechanical Skill of
Spiders I'm Making Their Web.
(From the Baltimore SUM-


DIR. Henry Lapey Of Cumberland, who
does considerable experimenting along
scientific lines for PRISTINE, hes lately
been studying the theiyphonides, q spe-
cies OF spider that puilds Its web over
water along streams and rivers, With
'nteresting results His discoveries In
acme respects have teen wonderful. The
Investigation was made for the purpose
OF getting photographs Of tae web for a
lecture on onoiogy before scientific
club in Cumberland.
After xperim snting DR.. Laney found
the spider commonly known as the water
spider to be q willing. obedient worker;
that BY chan7inR the position of the In
sect to point he wanted hin to work In,
the spider would proceed with his labor
In u most accom- IN odating manner, as IL
nothing had happsned. DIR. Lsney made
n small wooden framework, and In thi
he oosxed the spider TO spin bis web.
Naturally, spider w hs are not generally
located conveniently for Photographic
purposes, and DIR. Laney conceived the
Idea CT a frame for the web that he
SONAo hsN'V w my PAhoos - - w oN"1a"
proper light and conditions fer photo
graph. The willing worker DIR. Laney
found along creek near Cumberland,
VIII sre he carried on his Investigation.
After securing the web. which, In Its
natural st,ts, Is comparatively Invisible
for Photographic purposes, DIR. Laney
proceeded first to make 1t tenacious by
as vtr., xuNf II. h@tt al. In n
Of shelIac from a medical atomizsr
Though still comparatively invisible after
this Treatment, the web could be handled
with ease without fear Of tearing 1t. 10
develop the beautiful work Of the spider
DIR. Larey, with another atomizsr,
sprayed the web with q solution Of gallo
acid, which made 1t appear as II fros, had
settled upon 1t. The web now seemed
to BIS coverad with the mornings dew.
10 completes the effect, DR.. Laney CAP
tured the spider. put him in the death
box, and thsn coated him with shellsc.
Dfft1y placing the insect in tine web 10 u
natural position, he was sprayed with
gallic acid. Using black velvet as b ick
ground, DR. Lansy succeeded In photo
graphing one of the most beautiful and
delicate pictures found in natuIe.
DIR. Laney says: 1.-THE spider displays
wonderful intelligence ana mechanical
skill in making these nets. Their in
animal; indeed, IL quite tordsrs on
reason. when large spider desires to
make = web for himself, and he has some
distance 10 stretch IL, he does not swing
himself, as most people suppose, and let
the wind or his own momentum take him
A..x. IL lie L. Akx Ia.
starting the first guy very close up to the
corner of the angls He att iohes to the
other side Of the angle. making a short
guy. Each guy iDoreases In length, the
spider always using the last guy male to
carry ths next one over until he attains
the position in which he wishes TO III 40
his net. he last guy may be ten feet
LONG end the tirst one only n foot In
length.
"Ths last two guys b.oome the support
OF the net Jhese will each be reinforced
by at least six strands all laid In the
one oabl., for the thorough support of the
net. AZ or this the spider travels to the
point on ihs cable from which he wants
to locate his net. attaches the web to that
point. and let's drop to the next guy,
thereby laying the first angle guy Of the
net. Then he era y Is back over this same
guy to the top again. aud repeats the act
until he has spun eight strands. which
hIaso - nhkusut ih tuo hcts All
spiders, as haze Observed, make the
save kind Of q net, with The same num-
Der Of strands and uivisiooa
NOW he proceeds to put in the network
by starting from the center, wh,rs he
attaches his web, tn n with . circular
motion. travelling from guy tn guy, spin
ming web as he goes. and by its nstnIa,
m DISTURB sticks IL t, each guy, oarefuli
carrying the web in his hind feet to prs-
vent 1t from touching except at the poiut
desired by him. When ne has = small
distance Of tae inside completed, he goes
to the outside of the net and finishes ont
any irregular part of the net that does
not come within the radius of a circle
After the cirtls has hesn attained tn >
same rotary motion Is kept up until tue
net Is finished 10 the center.
Here comes the most comic feature of
the net bnildiny-the test of the dura-
bility of the work by thu spider hlms slf
As soon rs the net Is nnisled ne puts
every guy through the severest test by
sharp, brisk jerks, seemingly sufficient
To tear the whole net to p'e,es The
spiders antics just then are certainly
amusing. II tn spider finds the web Is
not taut, he will 90 to the end OF the
guy rope, stretch 1t until 1t suits him.
and reattach TIE guy. Ii the net SELL
seems loose from the center the guy will
be carried from thu center TO some con.
veDient point to give the net its proper
shape. This is onl done when necessary,