Catching a Spider Web

Few things are more fragile than a spider’s web and most people would think it was nonsense to try and keep one for any length of time. As a matter of fact, we have one that was made last autumn and it is as perfect to-day as it was when the spider wove it.

How did we manage? First, we obtained a sheet of smooth cardboard and, mind, it must be very smooth-quite free from any coarseness. Then,we went over it with Indian ink and made it absolutely black. At this stage, we put the card carefully away and waited for a suitable opportunity.

Early one morning in September, when the weather was still, we got up and looked round the garden. There were several fine spiders’ webs to be seen, so we hurried indoors and painted the black card with a thin layer of gum. Without losing any time, we returned to the garden, placed the card under a suitable wen and lifted it so that the threads were caught by the gum. A pair of scissors severed the outlying threads and the web was ours.

The gum dried in less than an hour and, then, we covered the card with a clean sheet of glass which was bound up with passe-partout edging.

Don’t you think the idea a capital one?

We should add, perhaps, that webs are a little deceiving in their size. They are larger than they seem, so be provided with a fairly large piece of cardboard or you will miss the outer threads, which are, probably, the most beautiful of all.