Evening star., 1932-09-07

Templeton Jones never quite got
over the idea that the dictionaries ano
the encyclopedias and the biologies
were fooling him about spiders.
] Spiders are animals. the books said
but to Jones (and most other human
beings they looked for all the world
i like insects.
/ Even when 1t was explained that the
, spider had four pairs of legs. or eight
| in all, whereas insects have only three
pairs, or six legs. Templeton Jones in
sisted on regarding them all In the same
category.
There was fine specimen of garden
| spider just outside window on the
Jones sun porch, in position where
| its spinning activities could be watched
| easily.
So this orange fellow was a little
brother to Fido and Tabby.
Jones found 1t difficult to believe,
but the books said SO, and no doubt the
| books were right. An old musical COM
edy song fioated in the memory of his
ears. Look, Look, Look in the Book
and See!" so 1t went. from "The Bur-
gomaster," was it not?
: What struck Jones most perhaps
| about this particular specimen of eight
legged animal of the order Araneida
was its incessant activity.
At least during the time that Jones
was privileged to watch 1t, as from a
| grandstand seat, the creature indus
| triousely ran up and down its lines
without so much as resting for second
And all eight legs were going all the
time.
The various other projections from
the curious orange bulb were in motion
| too. These included, as the books told
Jones, its spinnerets.
! And what vast amount Of spinning
! 1t did, to be sure!
Its chief guy wires, or lines, were run
/ from branch of rhOdOdendron to the
middle section Of an all-over screen.
The web was about halfway down
at such a point that Jones got a per-
feet view as he sat by the window on
Sunday afternoon, Just before the rain
He wondered what would happen to
the intricate system Of lines. so tangi-
i BILE, yet SO absurdly intangible, If and
when the rain hit it.
The spider did not seem to be worry
ing In the least.
Being down at the bottom of one
very long line, 1t evidently decided tc
run up again.
All the way up 1t worked its legs
constantly. The books say that few
spiders can see more than two inches
Jones thought this a fine provision OF
nature, in so far as spider watchers are
concerned.
Certainly the bright carnivorous ami
NAL before him seemed to have nt
realization that 1t was the center Of an
, impromptu show.
! 1t eased itself up and down the
strands as If it were the center Of the
world as we'll as of its web.
1t was impossible for Templetor
Jones, more than any other person, K
watch the spider spin and not wonder
what made him do it.
Did it teach itself, or did some one
| teach 1t?
Why did it spin, and what for?
+, And did 1t have any knowledge Of 1t.
work, or did 1t just do it?
Solemnly Jones stared out at the
| spider. That animal steadfastly wen
about its business.
! In one corner of the web structure
there remained a few glistening wings
all that was left Of an unfortunate fly
The sky was darkening, but occa.
sionally faint ray Of sun, striking
down, would shine on the fly wings.
| The master of the web did not seen
much concerned with his chief struc-
ture. He gave all of his time to the
far-fung supports and stays, the intri-
cate braces and guys which went fal
aloft and down.
| Jones recalled having read somewhere