The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1906-06-06
INSECT ENGINEERING
FEaTs OF THE CARPENTER eEE AND
THE TuMBLE1uG.

GFavedfgSsr - Wonderful Skin OF
tne Spider and she Great Strain
Thst Hin Elastic Web SysA Bear.
Long before man had thought Of the
saw the saw fly had used the same
tool, made after tho same fashion and
used In the same way, for the purpose
or making Sits in the branches Of trees
SO that she might have secure place
to deposit her eggs. The carpenter bee,
with only the tools which nature has
given her, cuts Il round hole, the full
diameter Of her body. through thick
boards and SO makes tunnel by which
she can have Il safe retreat In which to
rear her young. The tumblebug, with
out derrick or machinery, rolls over
large mnsses Of dirt many times her
own weight, and the sexton beetle will
IN Il few hours bury beneath the ground
The cnrcass OF comparatively large
animal. All these feats require q de-
gree Of Instinct which In Il reasoning
creature would be called engineering
skill, but none Of them is Us wonder
der. This extraordinary little animal
has the faculty Of propelling her
threads directly against tho wind, and
by means of her slender cords she can
haul up and suspend bodies which are
many times her own weight.
Some years ago paragraph went the
rounds of the papers In which 1t was
said that a spider had suspended an
unfortunate mouse, raising it from the
ground and leaving It to perish misera-
bly, between heaven and earth. Would
be philosophers made great fun Of the
statement and ridiculed 1t unmerciful-
~. know not how true it was but
know tint it might have been true.
Some years ago in the villa ae Of Ha-
.vana In the state Of New York q spIder
entangled milk snake In her threada
and actually raised 1t some Distance
from the ground, and this, too, in spite
Of the struggles Of the reptile, which
waH alive.
By what process of engineering ia
this comparatively small and feeble In
sect succeed in overcoming and lifting
up by mechanical means the mouse or
the snake? The solution is easy
enough II we only give the question a
little thought.
+ The spider is furnished with one OF
the most efficient mechanical imple-
ments known to engineers-viz, a
strong elastic thread. That the thread
is strong is well known. Indeed, there
are few substances that will support q
greater strain than the elk Of the silk
ment having shown that for equal sizes
the strength Of these hbers exceeds that
OF common iron. But Notwithstanding
It's strength the spiders thread would
be useless as mechanical power If 1t
were not for Its elasticity. The spider
has no blocks or pulleys,. and the -efors
1t cannot cause the thread to divide lp
and run In different directions, but the
elasticity of the thread more than
makes up for this and rendera possible
the lifting OF an animal much heavier
than g mouse or snake. This may
require little explanation.
Let us suppose that child can lift
ask pound weight one foot high and
de tbs twenty times a minute. Fur
nish him with $50 rubber bands, each
capable Of pulling six pounds through
one sfoot when stretched. :: Let these
:. bands be attached to q wooden plat
form on which stands a pair Of herses
sweiehin1 2 100 Ezee:.ads, Or Eaiher moro
than ton II new the child will 60 to
work and stretch these rubber bands
singly, hooking each one up as It Is
stretched, in less than twenty minutes
he will have raised the pair Of horses
one foot. Z; - Il: " -: - -. Is-,,=
:: We thus see that the elasticity Of the
rubber bands. enables the child to d.
Vide the weight Of horses into $50
pieces of six pounds each, and, at the
rate of q little less than one every
three seconds. he lifts all these sepa-
rate pieces one foot. so that the child
easily lifts this enormous weight.
Each spiders thread acts like one Of
the elastic rubber bands Let US sup
pose that the mouse or snake weighed
half an ounce and; that each thread Ia
capable Of supporting a grain ma a
half, The spider would have to connect
tho mouse with the. point from which
It was to-. be suspended with $50
threads, and II, the little quadruped
was once swung OF his feet he would
be powerless. By pulling successively
on each thread, and shortening it 8 lit
tie, the mouse or snake might be raised
to any height within the capacity Of
! the building or structure in which the
work was done. 80 that to those who
have ridiculef1 the story we may Justly
say, There are more things in heaven
and earth than; are dreamed OF In your
philosophy ":5% ~. %::. =.
j What object the spider could have
Ind In his work am unable to see. It
may have been q dread Of the harm
which the mouse or snake might work
! or It may have been the hope that the
aecaying carcass would attract flies,
which would furnish food for the engl-
reer. can youch for the truth Of the
snake story, however, and the object
;sof this: article Is to explain and render
credible avery extraord dinary feat OF
Insect engineering Foilies Of Science.