Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 004.djvu/128

 some fathoms long, still issuing out of the belly of the animal; by and by the Spider lept into the air, and the thread mounted her up swiftly.

After this first discovery, I made the like Observation in almost all the sorts of Spiders, I had before distinguished; and I found the Air filled with young and old sailing on their threads, and undoubtedly seizing Gnats and other Insects in their passage; there being often as manifest signes of slaughter, as leggs, wings of Flyes &c. on these threads, as in their webbs below.

One thing yet was a wonder to me, viz. That many of these threads, that came down out of the Air, were not single, but snarled and with complicable woolly locks, now more now less; and that on these I did not always find spiders, though many times I had found two or three upon one of them: whereas when they first flew up, the thread was still single, or but little tangled, or, it may be, thicker in one place then another. In the end, by good attention I plainly found, what satisfied me abundantly, and that was this; That I observed them to get to the top of a stalk or bough, or some such like thing, where they exercise this darting of threads into the air, and if they had not a mind to saile, they either swiftly drew it up again, winding it up with their fore-feet over there head into a lock, or break it off short, and let the air carry it away. This they will doe many times together, and you may see of them, that have chains of these locks or snarled thread before them, and yet not taken flight.

Again, I found, that after the first flight, all the time of their sailing they make locks, still darting forth fresh supplies of thred to sport and saile by.

It is further to he noted, that these complicated threads are much more tender, than our house-webbs.

In Winter and at Christmas I have observed them busy a darting, but few of them saile then, and therefore but single threds only are to be seen; And besides, they are but the young ones of last Autumns hatch, that are then employed; and it is more than probable, that the great ropes of Autumne are made only by the great ones, and upon long passage stand Summer weather, when great numbers of prey may invite them to stay longer up.