The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-03-01
SKILL OF THE SPIDER
THE WEAVING OF ITS WEB IS VERY
WONDERFUL WORK.

THE WEAVING OF ITS WEB is VERY
WONDERFUL WORK.
Almost Human Intelligence Dis.
played by 1t In Solving Engineer
ing Problems In Constructing Its
Dainty, Lacy Domicile.
The spider Is the original telegraph line
man. Indeed he is something more.
After his lines are stretched he estab-
fishes a central" to which he runs as
soon as any sort Of vibration tells him
that prey Is entangled anywhere in his
web. Once at central he listens a min
ute; then, having gathered the direction,
glides away, to weave still further net
ting Of silken web about the luckless
wasp or fly that has fallen into his
clutches.
HE" would more properly be written
"she," az, In case of so many insects,
the female spider Is ever 80 much bigger,
more powerful and more resourceful than
the male. Spider courtship is, in fact, a
perilous 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 heartless parent, Selling
upon the clutch of eggs as soon as laid
and devouring them before the eyes Of
their aRonized author. Thus 1t is that the
agonized mother spider keeps a death
grip upon her bag of eggs. 1t is the dain-
test fairy silken pocket, varying in shape
and size according to species, but always
exceedingly handsome and well 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, cheer
fully In its defense. That Is not, how
ever, so wonderful as the fact that the
lost legs very quickly grow again.
The name spider runs back to the Sax
on, spinan, to spin: also the root Of that
austere word spinster. The Dutch name
for the insect Ia cop or cob, a head; hence
cobweb, head or cobwoven, Is lingually
allied to the so famous Spion-Kop. But
cobweb Is by no means so expressive as
gossamer or sommerwebben, the summer
woven.
In substance spider web Is nearly iden-
teal with silk. But the spinners OF 1t are
far too wise to reel it 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 as civil engineers, and often deal
with knotty problems In ways bespeak-
ing almost human intelligence, as, for in
stance, 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 couple
Of yards away, and there anchor them
selves 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 invisi-
BILE save where the full sun glints upon
them or else when a misty morning
strings them with dewdrops. None the
less they hold firm and serve as aerial
passageways along which the spiders run
to and fro safely and swiftly. or else
they serve as guys to brace the main
web. In spinning the spider shows ar
chite Sural genius to match her engineer
ing skill.
First she surveys a site, then stretches
across 1t a strong thread. She Is not par
ticular about having this first thread very
taut. All that can be managed later.
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ali. eoes 10 a third anchorage. a fourth.
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