While a gentleman was watching some spiders it occurred to him
to try what effect a tuning-fork would have on the insects. He
suspected that they would regard the sound just as they were
in the habit of regarding the sound made by a fly. And sure
enough they did. He selected a large, ugly spider that had
been feasting on flies for two months. The spider was at one
edge of its web. Sounding the fork, he touched a thread at the
other side of the web and watched the result. Mr. Spider had
the buzzing sound conveyed to him over his telephone wires,
but how was he to know on which particular wire the sound was
traveling? He ran to the center of the web very quickly, and
felt all around until he touched the thread against the other
end of which the fork was sounding; and taking another thread
along, just as a man would take an extra piece of rope, he ran
out to the fork and sprang upon it. Then he retreated a little
way and looked at the fork. He was puzzled. He had expected to
find a buzzing fly. He got on the fork again and danced with
delight. He had caught the sound of the fly and it was music to
him. It is said that spiders are so fond of music that they will
stop their spinning to listen, and a man once said that when
he retired to his room for quiet before dinner and played the
flute, large spiders would come onto the table and remain quite
still, “running away as fast as their legs could carry them”
directly he had finished--_Electrical Review._
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