The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-13
PLAYFUL YOUNG SPIDERS.
They Use Their Spinnerets Much as
Children Build Doll Houses.


The wolf-spider spins no web, but
stalks its prey-hence its name. # takes
the precaution to spin a thread before
leaping after anything so that in event
OF falling short, it will have a way Of
retreat. 1t is about the fercest of the
spiders, though far from the biggest, or
most venomous, and in captivity will
stalk its own image when crawling
over a mirror, and fall into a fury at
finding itself baked
The trap-door spider builds its nest in
the ground, a tunnel, about three inches
deep, with a branch sloping upward. and
closed by an inner door opening down.
ward. The outer door. which opens up
ward Is of the thickest, finest silk, with
an outer coat Of earth and small pebbles
to make It indistnguishable 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 hnest waterproof web, and buoyed
with clusters of tiny air bubbles which
the mother spider takes down by diving
upon her back, with the bubble entangled
in her legs
All spiders begin nest-buildlng very
young. AT seven weeks old trap-door
spiders make little nests the size of a
penny and. Of course, something hap
hazard and awry. No young spider. in
fact. builds a workman-like nest although
the creatures have from two to eight
eyes each The youngsters appear to
use their spinnerets in play, much as chill
uren build doll houses. Spiderwebs once
had great vogue as medicine They were
held specific for consumption. and certain
levers, as well as the best OF styptics.
They have still that last use. Even spurt-
ing arterial blood may be checked II not
wholly staunched by a generous handful
OF co5webs held hard against the wound
Spiders are wonderfully weatherwise
They will neither build new nests nor
repair breaks In old ones in face of a
storm. They have. moreover, certain
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 ca
ress, be certain falling weather is not
twelve hours away.
Few more wonderful adaptations are
/ seen in the whole round Of nature than
the webs spiders spin 90 entrap the wary
ant. They are not high-hung, lacv AZ
| Ialrs, caressing every breeze, but low
| set silken tubes stretched in the grass.
the crevices of rock, or about three roots.
Ants of every size creep heedlessly into
them. The spiders eat them with relish,
| but occasionally very little spider, and
a very big ant engage i'm a duel to the
death. If the spider can bite the ant
can sting-and does II with a right good
will. The spider does not try to get rid
| Of such an ant as he does of a wasp or
bee too strong to be safely attacked.
| Such an insect. which threatens destruc-
| ton to the web, is often cut out of 1t by
the web-builder. The entangling cables
are not loosed, but the web-rays neatly
| shipped in two, first those underneath,
and at the very last the highest flament
| Often the letting go OF such a captive
means destruction TO half the nest. But
some spiders are wiser than some peo-
pie. They know not merely when they
have enough, but when they have too
much.