. 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. 144 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. Zilla atrica. stretched their characteristic webs diagonally across to the hand rail. It thus happened that as many as a dozen or fifteen snares would be built out fi'om the same cornice or moulding, their upper foundations occupying the same horizontal plane, but diminishing in length as they approached the angle made by the post and the hand rail. The wedge shaped space thus define
. 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. 144 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. Zilla atrica. stretched their characteristic webs diagonally across to the hand rail. It thus happened that as many as a dozen or fifteen snares would be built out fi'om the same cornice or moulding, their upper foundations occupying the same horizontal plane, but diminishing in length as they approached the angle made by the post and the hand rail. The wedge shaped space thus defined was almost completely filled with spinningwork, the orbs vary- ing a good deal in size, but being alike in structure. The position was a good one for trapping insects, which fly in vast numbers over the surface of the streams, but I could not but wonder whether some of the spiders occupying the interior snares were not sore put to it to pick up an honest living, and might not have been constrained to resort to cannibalism. However, I saw no raids " ower the border," notwithstanding the traditions of the Scottish site, but all the aranead clans seemed to be dwelling in peace. I had a fine opportunity one summer of studying the spinning habit of Zilla atrica at Annisquam, Massachu- setts. Many of this species were colonized upon the spacious grounds and surroundings of the place where I was lodged. They were domi- ciled upon the chicken coops and outbuild- ings, upon the shrubbery, and in consider- able numbers upon the boat house on the very verge of the inlet. In the latter po- sition their snares were swung just above the point of high tide, and they were very busy capturing the insects that flew around and above the water, and defending them- selves from vigorous colonies of Epeira patagiata domiciled in the same site. I noticed an occasional tendency among these Zillas to spin a full round orb. For example, in one colony of fourteen, all the nests were sectoral e
Size: 1740px × 1437px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectspiders, bookyear1889
