children of men were as completely equipped for the battle of life when they are turned into the streets to earn a crust.

The ways and doings of the spider have attracted observation for many ages. King Solomon says in the Book of Proverbs that "She taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces," which testifies to the truth of the saying that " He spake of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes."

"MANY a mickle makes a muckle." So says the thrifty Scotchman, and so perhaps thinks the wise little spider when she is laying the foundations of her house.

Choosing a quiet corner, she fixes her silken cord to a convenient place, and then jumps or drops, all the while

spinning her web, to an adjacent spot, and there fastens it again. This is the first foundation string; but, although it is strong enough to bear a weight eight times that of its weaver, yet the wise wee thing does not think of building her house upon so slender a cord, but goes backwards and forwards upon it five or six times, laying down a fresh line at each journey, until the cord becomes quite thick and able to resist the sharp jerks so often caused by an

insect coming full tilt into the spider's snare. After making several such foundations at different angles, she next proceeds to fasten to these strong cords the wonderful and intricate net by which she hopes to gain a livelihood.

The house-spider's web is often not very beautiful in shape, consisting merely of the single lines thrown across and across a corner in the "most admired disorder," and is generally very dusty. It, however, answers its purpose. The owner sits in a crevice of the wall, and watches with all her eyes-and she has eight of these useful organs-for the first fly that may chance to come that way. No sooner has the doomed insect touched the web than out pops the spider. Seizing it in her sharp claws, and, if it is very strong, binding it tightly with her cord, she first kills it, then sucks its life's-blood, and throws its empty body away. If flies come thick and fast, she is equal to the occasion; no failure of appetite is apparent, and she soon becomes very fat. If, on the other hand, flies are scarce, she can wait-ay, even as long as six months. -for better times.

Like mushrooms, a spider's, web seems to grow in a single night. If you are fortunate enough to live in the country, or have a garden to your house in town, you may perhaps have been annoyed by getting a spider's web across your face when going in the morning to gather a few flowers. You shudder and exclaim, "Ugh! the nasty thing! how I do hate

spiders!" My good friend, did you ever examine one of the wonderful pieces of work you have destroyed? And reflect; how much more reason the industrious little maker has for hating you than you have for hating it! Probably that web across your

GEOMETRICAL SPIDER CONSTRUCTING ITS WEB.

face is the work of a geometrical spider. If so, when you see a similar one, just take a good look at it, and you will find a perfect geometrical design, with all the radiating threads at equal distances, as also are the threads which are carried round and round upon them.

Now go into the house, and try with rule and

compasses to draw such a spider's web. You will no doubt waste a great deal of time and paper, and, if you are honest, will acknowledge in the end that you are beaten by a tiny creeping thing.

Very often, while taking an early walk along a country lane, we see stretched from bush to bush, from paling to paling-all set with countless dewgems, which sparkle in the sunshine like diamonds of the first water-the silver filagree work of the gossamer spider. This dainty lady has been out a-hunting, and has left her jewelled track behind her Travellers in tropical countries speak of a similar kind of spider, only much larger, which throws its thread across rivers, fastening them to trees and bushes on either side. These miniature lace-like suspension bridges are said to produce a most striking effect on the landscape.

Some spiders spin a fabric so fine and so close in its texture that it rivals in beauty and finish the finest Eastern cloth. This is not surprising, we should say, having examined the marvellously complete and perfect machinery of which the spider is mistress.

Another tropical kind is credited with making a web of the most brilliant and varied colours. Were it not that, on close examination, the weaver herself is discovered seated in the middle of this veritable Joseph's coat, it would be almost impossible to believe that such dazzling beauty could be produced. from the body of a spider.