"Nov. 18, 4:45 P.M.; released a fly in the cage. The spider pounced
upon it, seized it with fore and third pair of legs, threw out a band
of silk and enswathed it, tumbling it over and over with her hind feet
about thirteen times, hence enswathed it in thirteen wrappings of
silk. The fly was then disconnected from the web, the spider making
but little attempt to mend the gap. It was carried to the hub and
eaten. While the feast was going on, a honey-bee [with sting
extracted; we didn't want to run any risks with Argiope!] was
liberated in the cage. As soon as it touched the web, the spider was
upon it, throwing out a band of silk in a sheet a quarter of an inch
broad. ['Drawing out' would be more accurate, for the spinnerets
cannot spurt out silk; silk is drawn out and given its band character
by lightning-like movements of the comb-toothed hind feet.] With her
hind legs Argiope turned the bee over and over twenty-five or
twenty-six times, thus enswathing it with twenty-five or twenty-six
wrappings of the silken sheet.
"No sooner was the bee enswathed than a second bee was liberated in
the cage and caught in the web. This was treated by the spider like
bee No. 1.
"Nov. 20, 8:15 A.M.; Argiope perfectly still in center of hub,
feeding on bee No. 2. The only thing that reveals the feeding is a
slight moving of the bee's body as the juices are sucked up. Remains
of bee No. 1 dropped to the bottom of the cage.
"Fed all day, 8:15 A.M. to 5 P.M., on bee No. 2.
"At 2:30 P.M., a box-elder bug, which is very ill-smelling, was thrown
into the web. Argiope did nothing for three minutes, then went out on
the web to it and wrapped, making five complete turns; then went away.
Probably not hungry, as she has had two bees and a fly in three days.
"Nov. 21, 8:15 A.M.; box-elder bug finished during last night. Old web
replaced by a new one with twenty-nine radii, eleven complete spirals
and several partial spirals. The hub is formed of fine irregular
webbing about an inch and a half in diameter, without the viscid
droplets that cover the spirals. An open space of about a half-inch
intervenes between the hub and the beginning of the spirals.
"4:30 P.M.; liberated a fly in the cage. Argiope pounced upon it and
began to eat immediately, not taking time or trouble to enswath it.
"While the fly was being devoured, we liberated a strong-smelling
box-elder bug in the cage. It flew into the web. Argiope, by a quick
movement, turned on the hub toward the bug and stood in halting
position for eight seconds, then approached the bug slowly, hesitated
for a second or two, then wrapped it about with five wrappings, halted
again, and finally finished with five more wrappings. The bug was then
attached to the web where it had first touched, the spider passing
back to the center and resuming her meal.
"When the fly was finished, Argiope walked over to the bug, grasped it
in her mandibles, walked up to the hub, turned herself about so that
her head was downward, manipulated the bug with her fore and third
pair of feet until it seemed to be in right position for her with
reference to the hub of the web, and began to feed.
"5 P.M.; bee liberated in cage _with sting not extracted_. Argiope
leaped instantaneously to the spot where it was caught, enswathed it
with great rapidity thirty-seven times, then bit at it, and enswathed
it five times more, making forty-two complete wrappings in all, then
left it fastened in the web and resumed feeding upon the bug. All the
time she was wrapping it, Argiope kept her body well clear of the
bee's body, the spinnerets being fully one-half an inch from the bee,
making the broad band of issuing silk very noticeable. In biting it,
which she seemed to do with marked caution, she of course had to bite
through the silken covering.
"A few minutes later a second bee, with sting, was liberated in the
cage, caught in the web and rapidly pounced on by the spider. As
before, she turned it over and over with great rapidity, using
apparently all of her legs. She enswathed it fifty times, bit it, and
then wrapped it with five more silken sheets, making fifty-five
wrappings in all. Leaving it hung to the web, she went back to the
bug.
"Before Argiope had reached the bug, bee No. 3 was caught in the web
at the exact spot where bee No. 2 was hung up. In its efforts to
disentangle its feet, it shook the whole web violently. In spite of
the violent vibration of the web, Argiope pursued her course to the
bug at the hub of the web, adjusted herself with head downward, and
resumed feeding.
"Query: Did Argiope think the web-shaking due to futile struggles of
the well-wrapped bee No. 2, and hence needing no attention?
"Vibration of the web continued. After several seconds had elapsed,
Argiope seemed suddenly to realize that her efforts were called for
out on the web, for she pounced down as rapidly as before and rolled
and tumbled _both bees together_, enswathing both in the same sheet of
silk, never stopping until she had given them fifty-five wrappings.
After biting twice, she wrapped them with five more turns, bit again,
and wrapped again with seven more turns, making sixty-seven in all.
Argiope then returned to her bug.
"Query: Does Argiope distinguish bees from flies?
"Further query: Does Argiope distinguish bees _with stings_ from bees
with _stings extracted_?
"Nov. 22, 9:45 A.M.; Argiope feeding at hub on bees Nos. 2 and 3
introduced into cage yesterday afternoon. With her right second leg
she holds taut a line connected with bee No. 1.
"10:25 A.M.; packet dropped to the bottom of the cage, the juices of
only one of the bees having been sucked out. The web is constructed
at an angle so that anything dropped from the center falls free of it.
"5 P.M.; began feeding again on bee No. 1.
"Nov. 23, 9:30 A.M.; another bee released in cage, caught in web and
enswathed approximately thirty turns by Argiope.
"Nov. 25, 8:30 A.M.; the web has been destroyed during the night.
"Nov. 26, Argiope has made an entirely new web.
"Nov. 30, 2 P.M.; gave Argiope a bee with sting. It was wrapped
forty-seven times, but not so expeditiously as has been her wont.
Later another bee was liberated in the cage, caught and wrapped about
forty-five times.
"Dec. 2, 11 A.M.; the body of a live bee was bathed in fluid from the
freshly crushed body of a box-elder bug [very malodorous], and the bee
liberated in Argiope's cage, and soon caught in the web. The bee was
not very lively and did not shake the web violently, but Argiope
rushed to it without hesitation, wrapped it with twenty-five turns of
silk and returned to the hub of the web.
"Dec. 3; Argiope stayed all day in the upper part of the web, on
foundation lines, with head downward.
"Dec. 5; yesterday Argiope moved down to her normal place on the hub.
To-day she is on the hub, but in reversed position [head up], and with
legs bent and limp, not straight out and stiffened as usual.
"Dec. 6; Argiope hung all day from foundation lines of upper part of
web, in reversed position [head up], with legs limp and bent.
"Dec. 7; Argiope hanging by first and second right legs, from upper
part of web; barely alive.
"Dec. 8; Argiope dead."
[Illustration: THE ORANGE-DWELLERS.]