. The world of the great forest; how animals, birds, reptiles, insects talk, think, work, and live . ork withhis head downward, forcing the secretion and workingthe spinnerets, attaching the beginning of the threadto a branch of a tree first, then lowering himself bythis thread. Then, when he reached the bottom, heascended, spinning another thread as a support withone of his legs. The thread was of a bright orangeyellow like the color of his body. The spider built a network of very strong threadsto support the whole structure; these were the sup-porting beams. Between these, he span smaller de
. The world of the great forest; how animals, birds, reptiles, insects talk, think, work, and live . ork withhis head downward, forcing the secretion and workingthe spinnerets, attaching the beginning of the threadto a branch of a tree first, then lowering himself bythis thread. Then, when he reached the bottom, heascended, spinning another thread as a support withone of his legs. The thread was of a bright orangeyellow like the color of his body. The spider built a network of very strong threadsto support the whole structure; these were the sup-porting beams. Between these, he span smaller deli-cate threads, using fewer spinnerets, directing his legsto do the work as the threads were spun. After several days work the web was finished, andthe yellow and black spotted spider looked at it andwas pleased. It was a wonderful and delicate pieceof work done with great skill, judgment, and thought. 172 THE IBOBOTI, OR SPIDER It was very elastic, so as to resist the power of the wind. Then thespider saidwith great de-light : NowI shall notstarve, for myweb is new.\ I hope that Ihave chosen a. Iw^^Wim good spot, andthat flies, insects,and even small birds will flyblindly into my meshes. NowI shall live well. Then hetook a good place of vantage,and stood motionless as ifdead, on the outer border ofhis web, and listened intently,and looked round with his173 THE WORLD OF THE GREAT FOREST ferocious-looking eyes, waiting for prey. Suddenlyhe said: Oh, how hungry I am ! I am so createdthat I have to live as I do, for I am only powerfulwhen I walk on my web. I am unlike all the othercreatures that fly or walk, for they go and seek preyto satisfy their hunger, while I, on the contrary, haveto stand still and wait for my victims to come blindlyinto the web. If they do not come, then I wonder that I attack with such fierceness thosewho get entangled in my meshes. I have to be verypatient. Still I have reason to be; for sometimeswhen I am despairing, a big fly or insect flies
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