Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-02-28
WAYS OF HUNTING SPIDERS.
Some Stalk Their Prey and Others Build
Rats to Seek it on the Water.

The wolf spider spins no web, but
stalks its prey-hence it's name. 1t
takes the precaution to spin thread
in event of falling short, it will have
a way of retreat 1t is about the fierc-
est of the spiders, though far from the
biggest or most venomous, and in cap
tivity will stalk it's own image when
crawling over a mirror, and fall into
a fury at finding itself baked.
The trapdoor spider builds it's nest
in the ground, tunnel, about three
inches deep, with branch sloping up
ward and closed by an inner door open
ing downward. The outer door, which
opens upward, is of the thickest finest
silk, with an outer coat of earth and
pebbles, to make it indistinguishabl
from the surrounding surface.
Water spiders lash together with
their best silk RATS of dead leaves,
upon which they float in pursuit of
water insects But the RATS do not
compare with their nests, which are
egg-shaped, lined with the finest water
proof web, and buoyed with clusters OF
tiny air bubbles, which the mother
spider takes down by diving upon hel
back, with the bubble entangled in he
legs.
All spiders begin nest-building very
young. At seven weeks old trap-door
spiders make little nests the size of
cent, and, of course, something hap
hazard and awry. No young spider, in
fact, builds a workman-like nest, al
though the creatures have from two to
eight eyes each The youngsters ap
pear to use their spinnerets in play
much as children build doll houses.
Spiderwebs once had great vogue
as medicine. They were held specific
for consumption, and certain feyers, as
well as the best of styptics. They have
still that last use. Even squirting ar
terial blood may be checked, II not
wholly staunched, by generous hand
full of cobwebs held hard against the
wound.
Spiders are wonderfully weatherw1se.
They will neither build new nests nor
repair breaks in old ones in face OF
storm. They have, moreover, GER
tain prescience which foretells weather
changes. Wherefore, if you see half
destroyed web, with no spider-body
making haste to build it over, though
the sun may shine and winds caress,
be certain stormy weather is not twelve
hours away.
Few more wonderful adaptations are
seen in the whole round OF nature
than the webs spiders spin to entrap
the wary ant. They are not high
hung. lacy affairs, caressing every
breeze. but low-set silken tubes
stretched in the grass, the ereVlces OF
rock. or about tree roots. Ants OF ev@
ery size creep heedlessly into them
The spiders eat them with relish, bu'
occasionally very little spider and
very big ant engage in a duel to the
death. If the spider can bite the ant
can sting-and does it with a right
good will. The spider does not try to
get rid of such an ant as he does OF
WASH or bee too strong to be safely at
tackled. Such an insect, which threat
one destruction to the web, is often cut
ont of it by the web-builder. The en-
tangling cables are not loosed, but the
web-rays neatly shipped in two, first
those underneath, and at the very last
the highest ilament. Often the letting
% Of such a captive means destruction
70 half the nest. But some spiders are
w;ser than some people. They know
not merely when they have enough
hut when they have too much.-NeW
York Sun.