Clyde Rogers, aged 10, of Williamsport, Penna. or question:

Can a spider get caught in his web?

Most webs are spun by lady spiders. And yes, the lady can get caught in her own web. But she doesn't. The spider is a smart old lady, far, too smart get stuck to her‑ own booby trap. She manages to keep herself free by spinning her web of different kinds of thread. Some threads are sticky, some are not.

The poor fly has never learned this secret of the spider. He bumps into the filmy net and gets all stuck up with the sticky threads. The spider waits for this moment on the sidelines. She races over to wrap him up with more sticky threads. But she is very, very careful not to put one of her eight feet on the sticky threads.

Generally, the cross pieces that make a spider web are made of smooth, non‑.sticky thread. The goo is plastered onto the round‑about threads. When the spider runs over her web she never takes a wrong step. If she did she would be all stuck up along with the poor fly.