. 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. 318 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. inch. The materials of which it is composed externally are small particles of hardened earthy pebbles, twigs, withered leaves, etc., rather slightly at- tached by threads. This tube is lined with silk, forming a comfortable home. However irregular in appearance the nest may be externally, the interior is always smooth. Mr. Robertson examined sixty or seventy nests, and kept a dozen o
. 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. 318 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. inch. The materials of which it is composed externally are small particles of hardened earthy pebbles, twigs, withered leaves, etc., rather slightly at- tached by threads. This tube is lined with silk, forming a comfortable home. However irregular in appearance the nest may be externally, the interior is always smooth. Mr. Robertson examined sixty or seventy nests, and kept a dozen of them under glass cases for closer ob- servation. Most of the nests were suspended under the leaves of raspberry and gooseberry bushes and like situ- ations at a distance of from two to four inches from the earth; in a few instances they were suspended in the angles of old walls. When built above the soil the pebbles alone seemed to be used. "When built near a wall particles of mortar were taken. In the latter case, the nests were the most regular in form. When with- ered leaves were near,. these and small twigs were used, and the nests formed of such materials were the least It is thus manifest that the mechan-. FiG. 295. Nest of Therid- Supplies Used. ium riparium, made of symmetrical. pellets 0 c ay. ^^^^ finish of the domicile depends largely upon the building material available. In order to test the capabilities of these little architects, the observer supplied those which were in confinement with small twigs cut in lengths of about one-eighth inch, mixing with them larger pieces. He Artificial ^.^^g surprised to find that the smallest pieces were not often selected, and apparently the most unsuitable pieces were fre- quently chosen by the little architect. Figs. 298 and 299 are examples of nests formed by these twigs. The upper parts, above the marked line in the cuts, were built before they were transferred to cases. Fig. 298 was constructed in the course of three
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectspiders, bookyear1889
