"Doug Jewell" <ask@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:47dcc4a4$0$6852$5a62ac22@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Firstly, what you have is a species of Golden Orb spider, not a St
> Andrew's Cross. The Golden Orb's are distinguished by the golden sheen
to
> the web, if seen in the right light. The big spider is the female, the
> smaller one is her boyfriend, who will probably become lunch once he's
> fulfilled what he came to do.
Thanks Doug.
Since my dear old mum passed on, there's no-one around here competent to
ID
such little beastlies. (I can pick the funnelwebs - but I ain't gunna
photograph 'em..)
Geez - I should'a guessed when they kept their legs apart (as the bishop
said to the actress) unlike the St Andrews'.
(...and I'm not changing the bleedin' file names...)
Regarding the cannibalism, have you read
http://www.drbeetle.com/mantis.html
Spoils a whole subset of good jokes.
> Secondly, if you were using a DSLR instead of a P&S, you'd have had
> telephoto macro instead of wide-angle macro, and your daughters setting
up
> the tent would be replaced with a lovely soft dark green of the tree
(and
> you'd have spent a hell of a lot more to get a fairly similar result).
No-o-o-o...
If I'd up****pped the dSLR and the macro lens and the tripod and the remote
release, then the tent would be up and the daughters inside watching telly
-
and the spider likely died of old age.
Actually - there'd be no photos of these Orb Weavers, 'cause I wouldn't
have
bothered.
Hey! I didn't!
My point was the extraordinary convenience, matched with the not-too-bad
results of said P&S.
I'm really smitten with this little Canon. I've had bad experiences
before
(Casio, Panasonic) and good experiences (Pentax and Nikon), but this is
the
first I'd-like-to-carry-this-everywhere camera I've had since my Olympus
35RC in (ummm) 1972 (I think).
Of course, back then there was no such thing as "bokeh", so the little Oly
was great for everything. As is the Canon now (I think).
>
> Hot enough for ya?
Heh.
Luke-hot.
>
> Nice pics though - nice and sharp.
Thanks.
>
> Here's a few more various orb spiders:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdaj/2337068072/
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdaj/2336220285/
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdaj/2337050820/
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdaj/2308239241/
Photogenic little blighters, aren't they!
> There's a big variety of these closely related species. Some of them get
> quite big, and it can be quite scary when bushwalking getting tangled up
> in one the web of one. The good news is, (apparently) Australian
> orb-weavers are reluctant to bite, and when they do they are are not
> dangerous - apparently the bit is less painful than a bee-sting. Doesn't
> mean I like em tho.
Haven't had the privilege, yet, 'though I have to clear a path to the car
every morning. I *swear* I spat one out once.
Aforementioned daughter was bitten by Harry the Huntsman (a big'un) once,
and she likened it to a bee sting.
--
Jeff R.
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