Tikumu’s letter

Press, 10 February 1981, Page 14

Tikumu’s letter

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Next time you see a spider’s web in the garden, pause for a while to study the fine work in the gossamer home it builds. Better still, watch a spider at work, if you can. You are likely to see one in the early morning, and evening; or at any part of the day after rain. You will marvel at the weaver’s skin as it deftly spins strong threads to brace the parts which take the strain. Notice the way it measures angles and “welds’* joints, with engineering precision. Probably you will not have time to wait to see the finished

product It is said that a spider takes about four hours to spin a web. However, the length of time you spend watching will depend on where you are and the way you are feeling. A story is told about a Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, who hid in a cave to escape being captured. Lying there on the floor, feeling downcast and defeated, he saw a spider at work. He began to watch — idly at first. Then he became interested, and finally he was inspired by the skilful weaver’s determination. Robert the Bruce left the cave with a renewed will to try again. He rallied his army and routed the English foe at the

Battle of Bannockburn in the year 1314. The scientific name of the spider family of animals is "•arachnid, 1 ' associated in legend with a clever weaver — a girl named Arachne. Her work was so perfect that the goddess Athene became envious of her skill. To save herself, Arachne had to appease the jealous goddess by taking less pride in her weaving. But she would not. The angry Athene punished Arachne by changing her into a spider, perhaps one of the orbweb species which w’eave intricate webs in a cartwheel design. Spiders also feature in the stories of today. You will have read about Anansi, the clever spider that hoodwinks larger animals by cunning resourcefulness. Then there is the amazing Spiderman series popular on television and in comic picture stories. The arachnid group is quite different from the large insect family of animals with which it is sometimes confused. The spider has a twopart body and eight legs. The spinnerets, four, five

or six in number, are usually low down on the body. Each has several tubes or •‘spinning spools,” connected with siik producing glands. The spider can spin silk for different uses varying from coarse strong threads for foundation lines, to fine strands for binding its insect prey. A stretchy sticky thread of silk is needed for the snare of the orb-web. The . web-building spiders might be called the engineers of the animal world. They can use their silk in many ways. To build the home of their design they can make bridges, tunnels, snares, nurseries, shelters, or parachutes. The female is said to be more house-proud than the male. Her home provides comfortable shelter, a nursery for the spiderlings and food oh delivery (in the snare). The male is content to run up a temporary shack of poor quality silk.

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ACROSS 2. Motor cyclists need them on thei." heads. (7) 6. Oar national bird. (4) 7. Not anything. (7) 8. One of two we have for breathing. (4) 9. Remove wool from sheep. (5) 12. Very thick. (5) 15. A native forest climber, usually with a red flower. (4) 16. An explosive mountain. (7) 17. Smooth and level. (4) 18. Indicates or shows. (7) DOWN 1. It has 60 seconds. (6) 2. Joints by which a door turns. (6) 3. A flower emblem of Egypt. (5)

4. He cannot return to his country. (5) 5. People- with a sweet tooth like it. (5) 10. They are recognised for their bravery. (6) 11. Our national one is “God Defend New Zealand.” 12. Went into the water head first (5) 13. Synthetic fibre. (5) 14. Raise, high above others. (5) ANSWERS 'M UO].<N •£! PSAIQ Zl Utaqi -uy -ji saoj9H 'Ol JBSng 'S siPCa ■> snjo7 •£ soSuih g amuipj 1 :ua\og satouaQ ‘Bl U9A3 if ouvojoa 91 Sl' asuaa ei leaqs •g Sunq -g ’/ iamx •9 siaui[BH c :ssojov