Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 33.djvu/814

794 one, also extending the envelope over it. The process is kept up till the "diving-bell" has reached the proper size, and is finished. The ideal form of the construction is that of a thimble, but it often assumes an irregular shape, like an inverted sack (Fig, 5). When the spider has taken possession of its redoubt it remains quiet in it, head down, watching for the appearance of an insect. Perceiving one, it seizes it and returns to its lodge, which it has secured against intruders by spinning threads across it, to devour its prey at its leisure. The argyroneti being as ferocious as other spiders, the matter of marriage involves a grave crisis to the male. If he should present himself bluntly at the female's diving-bell, the result of the application would probably be fatal to him. But his instincts are adequate to the occasion, and he uses diplomacy, stratagem, and address. He makes a diving-bell near the female's, and adds a wide gallery between them. When his preliminary operations have been finished, he breaks through the wall of the female's lodge and surprises her into an embrace which is not always disagreeable to her. The young live for some time with their mother, whose solicitude for her little family is unremitting. When they have become strong enough, the young ones accept the struggle for existence and separate, each one going, as its parents did, to construct its cell and live a solitary life.

We now change our point of observation, and look at a spider that lives still another kind of life—as an inhabitant of our homes (Fig, 6), In a corner of the room under the ceiling is stretched a web, and on the web, watchful, stands a long-legged spider. It is the spider of all dwellings, and its presence is tolerated—the Tegenaria domestica. It has so pronounced a taste for dwelling-houses that it acts as if men's houses were built especially for it, A skillful weaver, it has at its disposal a quite abundant mass of silk. Its web is formed of an even material, which has been carded b/ tools of exquisite fineness, assuring the perfection of the work. When new, the web is a pure white; but it soon becomes soiled with dust and wears an unpleasant look, which, however, does not seem to give the proprietor any concern. The domestic spider is timid, and does not feel fully secure unless it has a good hiding-place to run to. It has reserved a vacant spot in the corner of the wall, and this is the road by which it steals away when it is alarmed. Beneath its web it has fixed a roomy hammock in which to take refuge. It deposits its eggs in a silken cocoon, which it hides under foreign bodies to conceal it from the greed of animals that would appreciate too well the delicious meats. During incubation, the