Evening star., 1933-08-20
BY LYNWOOD NJ. CHACE.

BY LYNWOOD M. CHACE.
q /Es, it is strange world that we are
about to enter-a world where love
" means death.
The main characters in this tragic
tale are not humans, but spiders
We walk down a picturesque eoun-
try lane Just around the bend we come to a
pasture the edge Of which Is bordered with
clumps of low growing bushes.
In this growth we find the home of no
torious gangster type of spider, one that kills
everything that becomes entangled in its wep
We also find that this species Of spider lives
in a folded leaf covered over and fastened at
the bottom by web. THIS makes q very prac-
tical little house the Nspider is well protected
from rain and from the hungry eyes OF otner
creatures of this strange world that might ne
looking for plump spider to SATISFY 'nen
appetite.
tn her home (this is the female spider) from
the lacey web below, are one or two strings Oh
silky thread which attached to the leg OF
the spider
Most of the time the spider stays In ner
curled leaf house, excepting when the web Is
badly damaged by the struggling insects tnat
have been caught during the day. Ihen she
comes down and mends it th1s duty Is per-
formed at night to have the snare IN readi-
ness for the next days catch.
THE slender string of web when 1t comes
from her abdomen is q fluid, and when 1t
strikes the air it is Immediately turned into
the sken strands with which the web is
woven-a feat that has been marveled at for
centuries.
The damaged web is made whole once more,
and as the dawn is breaking In the east the
ov;,, tic Aaiu activities a
busy place.
A katykid serenading his lady love high up
in an oak tree loses his foothold and falls to
the ground. Crawling up blueberry bush
he makes a desperate leap to gain headWay
but is suddenly stopped in mid-air.
Why what happened? He soon knows the
answer. for he finds himself fatally entangled
in a snare
Miss Spider who has keen appetite after
working all night, receives a message by teie-
phone ,the strings of web that lead from her
home to the WEBB that she has catch Now
watch closely for Miss Spider works fast
Sliding down these strings, like an expert
tght-rope walker she rushes upon the helpless
victim He is kicking and struggling with
rage, trying to get free-but it is too late, for
the cruel spider pounces upon him.
Instantly she begins whirling around ana
around the katykid. at the same time producing
wide strands of web from her spinnerets Her
victim is putting up a fight to the utmost, but
the web is tightening up on him and ne Is
getting exhausted.
The spider continues widening the web
around the victims body. and now it is difficult
to tell Just what the captured insect locks ike
as the katydid is enshrouded in thick coat
ing of web.
The victim by this time, is completely ex-
hausted and helpless. The spider now sinks
her deadly poisonous fangs deep into the katy
dds neck He stiffens. quivers, and then IS
still. The battle, of only a few seconds dura-
ton, is over. The prey is now ready for eating
Watch closely. for this is interesting. She
now begins cutting the web around the katy
did until the body of the insect Is free from
the web: she now takes the katydid in her
fangs (much lion would take an anteiope)
and with head held backwards she carries the
victim to the leaf homeland her feast begins.
The dead insect is kept for long period
and when she finally drops it to the ground it
is only dried-up shell.
It is now getting late in the Fall, the time
for spider love-making what strange
love it is!
OOKING carefully in the bushes near her
l. web we find tiny web. noticeably smaller
than the one We have been observing. At the
upper end of this small web we discover a tiny
spider, very much smaller than Miss Spider.
This is her boy friend, but it looks as though
he ought to eat some spinach. All. but Nature
is cruel and Indifferent in her scheme for
Natures only intentions for the tiny male
spider are to mate and die-and now We are
about to see the enacting Of the astonishing
story of this strange love affair.
ihe web Of the male spider Is attached TO
the female spiders web for san important