FUN WITH A SPIDER.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2583, 18 April 1877, Page 3

FUN WITH A SPIDER.

Spiders in,many respects are just like other animals, and can be tamed and pettedj and taught a great many lessons, which they will learn, as readily as a dog or cat. But you must take the trouble to study their ways, and get on the good side of them. One day I had been reading in a book how spiders managed to get their web across streams and roads, and from the top of a tall tree to another. I went out and. caught a large garden-Spider, one of those blue-gray sprawling, fellovrs,. and fixed him up for my experiment. I took a stick about eighteen inches inlength and fastened a piece of iron to one end of it, so: that the stick would stand up on that end of itself. Then I put this stick in the centre of a large tub half-full of water, and placed the spider on the top of the stick. I wanted to see if he could get to the "land," which was the edge of the tub, without any help. He ran down first one side-of the stick, and then the other; each side he would .stop when the touched the water, and shaking his foot as a cat does he w°u'd run up again. At last he came'td the conclusion that he was entirely surrounded by water, on an island, in fact. After remaining perfectly quiet for a long time, during which, I have no doubt, lie was arranging his plans, he began running around the top of the stick, and throwing out great coil 3o£ web with, his hind feet. It a few minutes little fine strings of web were floating away in the slight breeze that was blowing. After a little, one of these threads touched the edge of the tub and stuck fasti as all spider webs will do. That was just what Mr Spider was looking for, and the next minute he took hold of. his web and gave a jerk as a, sailor does with a rope when he wishes to see" how strong it is or to make. it ; fast. Having satisfied himself that-it was fast at the other end, he gathered it in till It was tight and straight, and then ran on it quickly to the shore— a rescued castaway, saved by his own ingenuity. ;