. American spiders and their spinning work. A natural history of the orbweaving spiders of the United States, with special regard to their industry and habits. Spiders. 156 AMERICAN SPIDEKS AND TIIEIll Sl'INNINGWOKK. Position on the Orb. It loves the neighborhood of water, but is found distributed widely throughout the meadows and in the foliage of bushes and low trees. Its snare is of a delicate texture, finely si)un, as a rule, but oftentimes short and straggling. It is placed cither in a vertical, horizontal, or inclined position, but its general habit is horizontal, and with tliis class of
. American spiders and their spinning work. A natural history of the orbweaving spiders of the United States, with special regard to their industry and habits. Spiders. 156 AMERICAN SPIDEKS AND TIIEIll Sl'INNINGWOKK. Position on the Orb. It loves the neighborhood of water, but is found distributed widely throughout the meadows and in the foliage of bushes and low trees. Its snare is of a delicate texture, finely si)un, as a rule, but oftentimes short and straggling. It is placed cither in a vertical, horizontal, or inclined position, but its general habit is horizontal, and with tliis class of Orb- makers I have placed it. It is armed with a pair of formidable jaws, whose immense teeth and long fangs would appear to give it a great advantage in its conflicts with enemies and efforts to secure food. In construction the orb of Tetragnatha extensa, as well as all other species of the genus, corresponds very closely with that of the Orchard spider. The hub is open, and a series of notched concentrics follows; then comes the free space; then the spiral space, the foundation space, and the foundation lines. ^ The position of Tetragnatha is underneath the central part of her snare. lier body is usually stretched across the open hub. The legs do not radiate from the body at open angles, but are drawn very close to the cephalothorax at the fore part, and to the abdomen at the hinder part of the body. Tlie fore feet clasp the radii at or beyond the notched zone, or one foot holds fast to a line which is stretched to the under part of the web and bows downward to the foot. The abdomen, as in the case of the Orchard spider, is hitched by a sim- ilar line to the orb. In this position the spider sometimes swings almost free from direct contact with her snare. The fore legs touch' or approx- imate near the middle, and the feet are curved outward. In spite of its somewhat awkward appearance, Tetragnatha is remarkably lively in its movements. When alarmed, Extensa runs down into tli
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectspiders, bookyear1889
