vi] AGELENA 45 



occasional upward jerks of the body. This occupied 

 between five and ten minutes, and as soon as it was 

 accomplished the under surface of the egg-mass was 

 covered by a layer of flossy silk similar to that against 

 which it was laid, the eggs being thus entirely en- 

 veloped in a coating of soft loose-textured material. 

 This was next covered in by a sheet of firm texture 

 like that of the original web. 



It might be supposed that the work was at length 

 finished and that a well-earned rest might be en- 

 joyed, but this was far from being the case. The 

 spider remained as active as ever though an hour or 

 two passed before the object of its industry was 

 evident. All this time it was incessantly climbing 

 backwards and forwards between the egg-sheet and 

 the hammock and generally scrimmaging round in 

 the most unaccountable way, but it gradually became 

 evident that the eggs were being enclosed in a 

 wonderful transparent box of filmy silk with the egg- 

 bearing sheet for its roof. By nine o'clock it was of 

 moderate strength and opacity, and the spider, having 

 worked "the clock round," no longer laboured con- 

 tinuously. Days elapsed, however, before it was 

 entirely finished to the satisfaction of the spider, which 

 remained all the time in close proximity to the box 

 and could with difficulty be frightened away, but 

 clung tenaciously to it when interfered with. 



No\v this remarkable performance, which any 



