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Reports on the mating practices of spiders. How male spiders have pedipalps on their head which contains semen; Use of webbing; Dangers for the male during the mating process.

Characterizes the Australian species of jumping spiders, Portia fimbriata. Behavior; Groups and classification; Characteristics as a predator; Skills in building webs; Habitat and nutrition.

Discusses a series of experiments on spiders. Number of species of spiders that are found in the U.S.; Techniques that can be used to photograph webs; Potential risk associated with experimenting with spiders.

The article focuses on the different forms of spider webs. According to the article, different types of spiders have varying forms of spider webs to adapt to different environments. The webs spun by those spiders that hold to the rocks and tree trunks have the tendency to head down the slope, thereby, spreading the thread downward over an increasing area producing a web like that of Amaurobius or Agelenopsis. Other types of spiders like the Linyphiidae make webs of such fine silk that they are visible only in the morning when beads of dew trace their lines.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "How Spiders 'Balloon,'" by Anna Kuchment in the July 2012 issue of the magazine, which discusses the ability of spiders to use their silk to create structures that allow them to achieve flight.

Answers questions sent to 'Scientific American' by readers. Elimination of caffeine from decaffeinated coffee through water processing, use of a chemical solvent, or circulation of carbon dioxide; Analysis of dragline silk, the silk that forms the radial spokes of spider webs.