PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS

Otago Witness, Issue 3769, 8 June 1926, Page 81

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS

MORE ABOUT SPIDERS. Spiders are such interesting creatures that they deserve more than a passing notice. As small creatures, and in the real sense of the word, they are put by scientists in a class by themselves. The main differences between them and insects were printed in last week’s issue of the Witness. There is, however, a slight correction to make. It was mentioned that spiders have six separate eyes, and the fact is that most of them have eight eyes, some of which are used for seeing in the dark, and so for night work. Though, spiders have so many eyes most of them are very shortsighted, and depend partly on their hearing, but mostly on their sense of touch for knowledge of the fact that some insect has been caught in their web traps. Spiders are very hard workers, very intelligent, and very clean in habit. Like the common house fly, the disease-carry-ing pest of our homes and surroundings, in spare moments they always pay great attention to their toilet. * Their hind legs, which they use so much in webmaking, are really a pair of wonderful tools. They are combs, brushes, and pincers combined. Tne little pincers at the extremity of the legs are used for affixing firmly the filaments or threads of silk to twigs and leaves, and for tying knots in the webs. Next to the claws is a row of teeth, which forms the comb with which the little creature combs its furry coat, and next to this again are some stiff hairs, which it uses as a brush for smoothing its fur and brushing off the smaller particles of dust which the combs do not remove. When resting from the work of feeding, web-making, and cocoon-making for its eggs, it is engaged in cleaning its body. The web spiders, when waiting for some juicy house fly, blue bottle, or other insect to be caught m its web. generally rests concealed under a leaf or % twig, where it has made a warm and cosy rest house of the finest-spun silk. To one of its legs is attached a strand of fine silk, which at the other end is affixed to the centre ot the web. When an insect enters the web and is caught, in its struggles to free itself it shakes this line, and thus tells the fierce little ogre that its prey is caught. Immediately, with wonderful speeu, the ogre is down from its concealment to examine its probable meal. If the insect is small it at once pounces upon it, and pierces it with its strong mandibles or jaws, in whi li are two tiny tubes which have poison sacs at the base. The pressure of the mandibles squeezes the sacs just in the same way as do the fangs of a snak. the poison enters the body of the insect, and it at once becomes paralysed. Then Mrs Spider (she is the only maker and owner of the web, having eaten up her spouse when she had no further use for him) proceeds to tie up her victim in any secure manner desired, to open him up, and suck out all the juicy parts of his anatomy. When this work is unished, she unloosens the bindings, and lets the shell fall to the ground. If the insect is large, and looks dangerous in her eyes, she keeps a safe distance, and circles round it, at the same time throwing out from her spinnerets strong cords of sticky silk, until the limbs o*f the insect become so enmeshed that it cannot use them. When satisfieu that the victim is so enmesued that it is defenceless, she pounces upon it, stings it, and proceeds to devour it It is surprising how many insects a spider will eat in this wqv, for it seems to have a tremendous appetite; but, if victims have been very plentiful, and at last the spider’s appetite is satisfied, it will cut the strands \. ith which it has bound its victim, carry away the body, put it in a store house for future use in times of scarcity—that is, when the weather is wet or stormy, . d the insects are sheltering. The spider which makes the filmy web trap which we often sec in our gardens must be a little brainy student of geometry, for the web is a wonderful piece of geometrical construction, denoting great intelligence for so small a creature. This little builder, when it has decided upon a suitable spot for its web, goes to the highest point, and lets fall a long filament with a sticky end, which touches a twig or leaf further down. The little builder then tests the hold, descends to examine the spot, and, if satisfied, properly fixes the end. Then it goes up to what it judges to be the centre. In this matter it is a good judge of distance, and, fixing the end of another strand, slides down or goes up the first strand, and fixes tlie second to a leaf or twig, and at a certain regular distance from the end of tho other. When enough are fixed in this way the builder thinks tlie moment has arrived that it can begin with the cross wires, so to speak. Then from the centre outwards it begins to circle round, placing cross strands at regular distances from each other. These arc tied or gummed to cacli strand radiating out from the centre. After that is done more radiatiug lines are run out, and thus the web is strengthened. The fastening of every strand is tested by the intelligent little constructor by pulling and straining. When satisfied that the geometrical trap is well and truly built according to plan, and the strength

of material is thoroughly tested, the cunning creature uses another of its spinnerets—a little specialised organ or irr strument which provides a special kinJ of sticky and knobby threads. These are for catching insects on the wing. Should the wing of any flying creature touch one of these knobs it becomes hopelessly fastened, just as a fly becomes stuck upon the flypaper which our good housewives use in our homes. In struggling the insect touches other sticky knobs, further entangling itself, and when the telegraph lines warn the waiter the life history of the insect soon ends for ever. When larger and more powerful insects are caught in their struggles they make a great mess of Mrs {Spider’s neatlybuilt trap. If they do not escape she has the satisfaction of making a good meal, which, no doubt, makes up a little for the destruction done. After finishing the meal Mrs Spider repairs the damage as quickly as possible, and retires to the rest house to watch and wait for another victim, but she never rests while there is any patching up required. She is one of the most hard-working little industrious creatures in the world. When not engaged in watching for insects she is doing the repair work, busily cleaning her body or her home, or making cosy little cocoons of the finest silk for the eggs which, sooner or later, it is her life purpose to lay in order to propagate her species. Though a terrible and greedy monster to the insect world, a cannibal amongst her kind, and ari eater up of husbands, she is a thoughtful, wise, and kind mother. She makes the most snug of silk-lined homes for the young, provides them with food for a time, and mounts guard over them till they can take care of themselves. If the young are not provided with food they will very likely make a meal of their brothers or sisters. It is known that very few of the young survive, and that is the reason that the mother has the instinct to lay so many eggs —any number from 50 to 400 or 500. Spiders have many enemies in the insect world other than birds, who are very fond of them. The mason wasp is a cunning and deadly foe of all the spider kind. It stings the spider in such a way that it is paralysed, but still preserved alive, and carries it to its nest of eggs, so that when tlie young mason flies are hatched they will have at hand a warm, fresh meal. The study of the nature and habits of spiders is extremely interesting, while the collecting and naming of spiders is a good and useful hobby for any boy or girl to take up. The study of their life and work will give much pleasure, and will prove what extraordinary and useful creatures spiders are. There are those wonderfully ingenious trapdoor spiders in New Zealand. How many boys, “ pater ” wonders, have discovered in their districts one of these cleverly-made homes? Spiders apart from birds were the first aeronauts (airmen) in the world—that is, the first creatures to fly without wings, for it is known that there are certain species that devise and use gossamer-constructed flying contrivances for the making of long voyages. In general spiders are so useful that it would not be too much to say that they should be protected. In South America in the tropical parts there are huge spiders which catch and eat small birds, and in the Amazon forests others that build a geometrical web as big as a cart wheel. A RUINED CITY OF GREAT FAME. There are few cities whose ancient glories have given them such romantic fame as lias Samarkand, a decayed city in Western Turkestan, north of Afghanistan, in Western Asia. Alexander sacked it 2200 years ago when it was Maracandra, a very big city indeed. Then for a thousand years it passed out of history, till the Arabs took it and made it a brilliant centre of civilisation and learning. But it was under the terrible Tartar conqueror Tamerlane that Samarkand reached the pinnacle of its splendour. Immense wealth poured into it, and the glory of Tamerlane resounded through the world. His victories made a tremendous impression on fourteenth-century Europe, for they curbed the Turkish power for 100 years. So the name of Samarkand still Stands for the magnificence and glamour of the East.