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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from The Life of the Spider by J. Henri Fabre: but still vigilantly explored, I find nothing so often as the
Labyrinth Spider (Agelena labyrinthica, CLERCK.). Not a hedge but
shelters a few at its foot, amidst grass, in quiet, sunny nooks.
In the open country and especially in hilly places laid bare by the
wood-man's axe, the favourite sites are tufts of bracken, rock-
rose, lavender, everlasting and rosemary cropped close by the teeth
of the flocks. This is where I resort, as the isolation and
kindliness of the supports lend themselves to proceedings which
might not be tolerated by the unfriendly hedge.
Several times a week, in July, I go to study my Spiders on the
spot, at an early hour, before the sun beats fiercely on one's
The Life of the Spider |
