Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-19
THE SPIDERS WEB.
Almost Human Intelligence shown in
Spinning the Gauzy Trap.

From the New York Sun.
The spider is the original telegraph line
man. Indeed, he is something more After
his lines are stretched, he establishes a
Central. to which he runs as soon as any
sort of vibration tells him that prey is en-
| tangled anywhere in his web. Once at
central he listens a minute, then having
gathered the direction g,ides away to weave
still further netting of silken web about
the luckess wasp fly that has fallen into
his clutches.
He would more properly be written
she" AS in case of so many insects the
female spider is ever SO much bigger, more
powerful and more resourceful than the
male Spider courtship is, in fact, a peril
Gus process for the wooer Unless he shows
himself both brave and nimble he is in
danger of being eaten before he gets the
ear of his fair one. By way of evening
matters, after marriage he shows himself
a most heartiess parent, Selling upon the
clutch of eggs as soon as laid and devour-
ing them before the eyes of their agonized
mother Thus it is that the mother spider
keeps death grip upon her bag of eggs.
1t is the daintiest fairy silken pocket, vary
ing in shape and size according to species.
but always exceedingly handsome and we'll
spun. At the first hint of attack the
| mother seizes 1t and hurries away, often
spinning a thread as she goes in the effort
to escape. She will lose a leg, two legs
even, cheerfully in its defense That is not,
however, so wonderful as the fact that the
lost legs very quickly grow again.
The name spider runs back to the Saxon,
spinan, to spin also the root of that aus
tere word spinster. The Dutch name for
the insect Is cop, or cob, head, hence
cobweb, head or cobwoven, is linguaIy
allied to the so-famous Spon kop. But
cobweb is by no means so expressive as
gossamer or sommerwebben, the summer
woven.
In substance spider web is nearly identl-
ool with 81 the SINNERS of If
far too wise to reel 1t up into cocoons,
which may be plundered by men to feed the
desire of the eyes and the pride Of life.
Web spinning is very wonderful work. The
workers indeed deserve high rank civil
engineers and often deal with knotty prob
lens in ways bespeaking almost human in
teiligence as for instance. when they spin
loose threads so deity and with such nice
calculation of wind force that the loose
ends are carried exactly to the chosen spot,
often a couple of yards away, and there
anchor themselves Of their own motion. 1t
is thus the fairy cables which net trees and
boughs, and stretch across all summer
paths, are set In place. They are invisible
save where the full sun giints upon them,
or else when a misty morning strings them
with drew drops None the less they hold
firm, and serve as aerial passageways along
which the spiders run to and fro, safely and
swift. Or else they serve as guys to brace
the main web. In spinning the spider
shows architectural genius to match her
engineering skill.
First she surveys a site, then stretches
across It strong thread. She is not par
ticu.ar about having this first thread very
taut-all that can be managed later. She
spins another thread from the end of this
diagonaily to another point, whence she
goes to third anchorage, fourth, even
a fifth. Now she has a clear central in
closed at irregular angles. The inclosing
threads have been spun of pure silk.
The next thing is to go over them with
a viscid exudation which will make what
ever touches them stick. When that is
done she spins the web proper running
from side to side, with thread trailing
behind her, until all the web-spokes are In
place. Before she weaves the rays together
with crossing threads. she must know that
both they and the anchor threads are de
| pendabie. So she runs about, stretching
straining every one. and If 1t breaks spin
ming it over. Where there is pronounced
sack she either takes it up by splicing
new thread next the center. and fastening
1t outside or by attaching light weights,
pebbles, bits of stick and SO on, to the
webs lower edge.
Now begins the last work-running round
and round. The crossing threads are spun
double-frst very fine, then with a coarser
ply At the middle, where the ray threads
| meet and cross, she either builds herself
snug station, or after everything is done
| cuts away the tangle and leaves small
| clear SPACE. This is the parlor into which
| the traditional fly was invited-with disas-
| trous results--but Madame Spider does not
| habitually sit in 1t. Instead she turks out
| OF SlTht, ampuSneQ at TIE LOU u d ray
| thread. When vibrations tell of prey, she
seeks the parlor. locates the disturbance
| and straightway goes to see about it, A
| strong winged insect, as wasp or humble
| bee left to himself. will soon break out OF
| her fii1nsy tolls. though he may SO entangle
| his wings in doing it that he never flies
| again So she takes. no chances. N1mb,y
| she runs down the nearest ray thread, spin
| ming as she runs. When she is a little be-
! yond her victim she dextrously loops her
new cable around him, draws 1t taut, and
| fastens 1t.
| When this had been repeated half a dozen
! times, the prey bound wing and foot is
| ready for removal She fastens new
| thread at the parlor. loops 1T around the fly
| or wasp. carries 1t back, and pulls 1t as
| tight as she can. Sometimes she moves her
| prey a whole half inch with one thread
| The next thing is to cut away all the outer
| threads that hold him. This she does quick
| ly, then spins a new cable from the par!or.
| Thus spinning and cutting, unless the prey
| be disproportionately big. she brings 1t at
| last to the parlor. or very close about IT.,
and Their sucks it's juices in leisurely con-
| tent. But If it is too big to be moved. she
gnaws off leg at time. sucks them. and
| after a while attacks the carcass. Some
| times. with fierce-stinging insects, she bites
| them Just back Of the neck so as to par
alyze them.