Lesson CXIV

Ballooning Spiders

Leading thought—The young of many species of spiders scatter themselves like thistle seeds in balloons which they make of silk.

Method—These observations should be made out of doors during some warm sunny day in October. Read Nature’s Craftsmen, McCook, p. 182.

Observations—1. Look across the grass some warm sunny morning or evening of early fall, and note the threads of spider silk gleaming everywhere, not regular webs, but single threads spun from grass stalk to grass stalk, or from one object to another, until the ground seems glistening with silk threads.

2. Find a small spider on a bush, fence post, or at the top of some tall grass stalk; watch it until it begins to spin out its thread.

3. What happens to the thread as it is spun out?

4. If the thread does not become entangled in any surrounding object what happens? If the thread does become entangled, what happens?

5. How far do you suppose a spider can travel on this silken aeroplane? Why should the young spider wish to travel?