A spider’s web is stronger than it looks. Although it is made of thin, delicate strands, the web is not easily broken. However, a web gets torn every day by the insects that kick around in it, and a spider must rebuild it when it gets full of holes. Charlotte liked to do her weaving during the late afternoon, and Fern liked to sit nearby and watch.
One afternoon she heard a most interesting conversation and witnessed a strange event.
“You have awfully hairy legs, Charlotte,” said Wilbur, as the spider busily worked at her task.
“My legs are hairy for a good reason,” replied Charlotte. “Furthermore, each leg of mine has seven
sections—the coxa, the trochanter, the femur, the patella, the tibia, the metatarsus, and the arsus.”
Wilbur sat bolt upright. “You’re kidding,” he said.
“No, I’m not, either.”“Say those names again, I didn’t catch them the first time.”
“Coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus,and tarsus.”
“Goodness!” said Wilbur, looking down at his own chubby legs.
“I don’t think my legs have seven sections.”
.......
