. American spiders and their spinningwork. A natural history of the orbweaving spiders of the United States, with special regard to their industry and habits . f theline, the leaves were approximated, as indi-cated by the dotted lines X X, and the prepar-atory stages of a nest accomplished. Whenthe nest was completed it presented the appearance of Fig. 277. The spider stayed in this nest for several days without making anymarked additions to it, which was due, perhaps, to the fact that heavyrains were falling most of the time. After this work of nest construc-tion was over, she dropped from th
. American spiders and their spinningwork. A natural history of the orbweaving spiders of the United States, with special regard to their industry and habits . f theline, the leaves were approximated, as indi-cated by the dotted lines X X, and the prepar-atory stages of a nest accomplished. Whenthe nest was completed it presented the appearance of Fig. 277. The spider stayed in this nest for several days without making anymarked additions to it, which was due, perhaps, to the fact that heavyrains were falling most of the time. After this work of nest construc-tion was over, she dropped from the projecting stem of the leaves by adragline, threw out a swinging basket, and issued a thread from her spin-nerets, apparently with a view to seeking a foundation. This thread at-tached itself to the vine at an opposite point about a foot distant, but forsome reason was in a little while loosened and floated away before thespider crossed over and strengthened it. At this point I was compelled tocease observation. A half grown Insular spider colonized upon an arbor afforded anotheropportunity to note the first stages in nest building. After she had been. JoiningEdges. Fifi. 276. Process of uest making;first stages. L L, lines joiningedges of leaves; X X, position oftips after lines A, B, etc., aredrawn taut. NESTING HABITS AND PROTECTIVE ARCHITECTURE. 301 placed upon the vines, she spent a considerable length of time in wan-dering back and forward over the leaves, climbing upward all the while,never downward, which may be said to be a common haljit ofBegin- spiders under such circumstances. Finally, she reached a spot Nest ^^*^^ ^*^ *^^® ^°P *^^ *^^ ^^® covered arbor, which seemed to suit her. Several leaves, closely clustered together, drooped over insuch a way as to form a natural shelter, and underneath these the spiderbegan arranging lier tent. She passed backward and forward under thesurfaces of the several leaves in the cluster, stretching lines from one tothe other in
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidamericanspid, bookyear1889
