4 THOS. H. MONTGOMERY, JR. 



of which 1 88 were marked as to the exact or approximate time 

 of oviposition. On a few days I did not commence observations 

 until -6 a. m., and in such cases estimated the time of oviposition 

 of prior cocoons by the state of completion of the cover ; but in 

 the majority of cases the precise time of the end of the act of 

 oviposition was determined. From the accumulated data the 

 following results were obtained : 



1. Time of Day of Oviposition. - - This is probably always in the 

 morning and usually in the early morning ; in one case a cocoon 

 was made some time between 1 1 a. m. and 4 p. m., while I was 

 absent from the laboratory, and in this single case oviposition 

 may have occurred later than the noon hour. The next latest 

 case was one at 11.29 a> m - The following table shows the 

 hours of oviposition and the number of cocoons formed in each : 



Before 5 5-6 6-7 7-8 8-9 9-10 10-11 11-12 



43 5i 42 3 2 33 9 5 2 



In the laboratory the spiders experienced about the same 

 light conditions as they did upon the stone wall. Though my 

 lamp was frequently burning at night in the room, and its light 

 wakened the spiders to activity, yet it never induced them to 

 start cocooning. The influence that occasions the cocooning 

 can therefore not be one of amount of light, nor of sudden 

 change from darkness to light. If it were amount of light they 

 should be expected to cocoon at twilight as well as at dawn, yet 

 they never do so. I do not think that cocooning is stimulated 

 by any light condition, but that the stimulus to oviposition may 

 be the oncoming of the warmth of the day after the coolness of 

 the night. My records of cocoons of one and the same indi- 

 vidual show that successive cocoons may be formed at different 

 hours of the day, /. e., that one individual does not maintain a 

 particular cocooning hour. 



2. Time Duration of the Act of Oviposition. - - This was timed 

 in 43 cases, the interval being measured from the moment of com- 

 mencing extrusion of the eggs to the moment of commencing 

 spinning of the cover. In one case it lasted just 2 minutes; in 

 nine cases from 3 to 4 minutes ; in twenty cases, from 4 to 5 

 minutes; in five cases, from 5 to 6 minutes; in six cases from 



