The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-08-20
Genius of the Spider.

have considerable respect for the fe-
male spider Notwithstanding the fact
that she does not treat the male very con-
siderately. 1 had an opportunity last
summer TO watch the large one that had
a web In the top of a decaying peach tree
with so few leaves that IL was In plain
view. / caught sight of her first when
watching some birds with my glass. She
seemed To be climbing from the TOP OF
the tree on nothing TO telephone wire
some fifteen fet away and somewhat
higher than her web.
When she reached the wire she went
around 1t and then back. In studying the
situation, i found the web was so located
that IL required a cable to hold IL up, and
the spider had in some way got one over
the wire so far away. This cable was or
course a slender silKen thread which
evidently she had thrown out, and on sc-
count OF its lightness IL had fioated to the
right place and became attached thero by
It's glutinous properties. IL seems re-
markable that IL should have adhered
10 the wire firmly enough to allow so
large an insect to climb over II, which
she did every day as long as i watched
her. evidently 10 mend or strengthen II.
The spider must have brains In which the
ability TO construct it's web and adapt IL
to conditions highly developed: In an
article in Chambers Journal the follow
ing account Of how the spider forms its
silken threads is given:
"One OF the most interesting features
ia the economy OF spiders is their power
of emitting slender threads OF silk-ike
substance called gossander with which
| most of them construct mesh-like nets,
and a few long. dangling cables. by which
they are buoyed through the air With
nearly as much facility AZ though they
| had been furnished With WINGS The ap-
paratus provided by nature for elaborat-
| ing and emitting this gossamer IL beau
tiful piece of mechanism Within the an
+; inal there are several little bags or vesi-
| cles of a gummy matter and these vesi-
cles are connected with a circular orihce
| situated at the abdomen. Within this
| orihce are Ave little taets OF spinnerets.
4 through which the sossamer Is drawn. IL
| must mot he concluded. however that
thezc n only one dlm OF gossamer pro-
| duced by each spinnneret, the fact IL.
| these teats are studded with thousands OF
| minute tubes too small for the naked
| eve to perceive, and each of these emts q
| thread OF inconceivable hneness. These
| minute tubes are known as plnnerules
and the films who proceed from them
| unite like so many strands OF rope 10
form the thread or Fossamer by which a
spider suspends itself. The finest thread
which human mechanism can produce Is
like n ships cable compared with the deli.
cate films which grow from the spinne-
rules Of the largest spider. The films are
| all distinctly separate on coming from
the spinnert but uniting not by any
| twisting process. but merely by their owr
| gutinous or vummy nature Thus thu
| spinning apparatus OF the disdsinet
spider when viewed by the eye OF sci
ence becomes one OF the bmost wonderful
| pieces OF animated mechanism known q
| man. The. animal has treat command
over their apparatus and San apply II a
will as long as the receptscles within nr'
replenished with the gumny luid. but a.
soon al this gum is exhausted oil its ef
| forts 10 spin are fruitless. and 70 mus
wait Till nature. by her inscrutabie chem
istrv has secreted II from the food whicl
IL devoured.--Dr. NJ. T.. Notebook in tn
| phrenologicsi Journal