Archive image from page 250 of American spiders and their spinning. 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 CUbiodiversity1121211-9742 Year: 1889 ( PROCURING FOOD AND FEEDING. 251 Fig. 229. A fly lightly swathed and trussed up. With great rapidity the abdomen is then doubled under, and a jet of thick, white silk issued from the expanded spinnerets, and thrown out rapidly by the hind legs. At the same time the insect is revolved by the united action of the short third pair of
Archive image from page 250 of American spiders and their spinning. 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 CUbiodiversity1121211-9742 Year: 1889 ( PROCURING FOOD AND FEEDING. 251 Fig. 229. A fly lightly swathed and trussed up. With great rapidity the abdomen is then doubled under, and a jet of thick, white silk issued from the expanded spinnerets, and thrown out rapidly by the hind legs. At the same time the insect is revolved by the united action of the short third pair of legs, the two fore legs, and not infrequently by the aid of the hind pair also. There is much difference in this respect, but the first, third, and fourth pairs seem always to be used. As the fly is rolled around by the feet the swathing thread envelops it something after the manner of woolen yarns as they pass from a spindle to a reel. But some- times the spider revolves her own body as well as the fly, thus facilitating the rapid- ity with which the victim is enswathed. There is, of course, a great difference in the amount of swathing thread used at diiferent times. Sometimes a few threads suffice, so that the outlines of the insect's body and limbs are clearly seen through them. (Fig. 229.) Again, the bandages will be a veritable winding sheet, and perfectly conceal the de- tails of the victim, showing only a lumpy outline, a creature as truly mummied as was ever one of Egj'pt's sacred animals. (Fig. 235.) Epeira trifolium was observed capturing a grasshopper. She approached very cautiously from above, and, as she drew near the entangled insect, threw out one fore leg and then another, drawing each back quickly as though feeling the character of the prey. Being satisfied, she dropped to one side and threw out two wide, thick streams of silk. These issued from either side of the spinning rosette, and each stream was fed evidently by the three spinnerets upon either side. (Fi
Size: 1538px × 1300px
Photo credit: © Bookive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1880, 1889, _philadelphia_the_author_academy_of_natural_scienc, _philadelphia_the_author_academy_of_natural_science_of_philadelphia, archive, book, bookauthor, bookdecade, bookpublisher, booksubject, bookyear, drawing, historical, history, illustration, image, mccook_henry_c_henry_christopher_1837_1911, page, picture, print, reference, spiders, vintage
