224 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



ones are much more developed than the others ; the 

 head, which is ahnost as large as the rest of the body, 

 is of a transparent greyish-yellow ; it is armed with 

 two strong mandibles, surmounted by from seven to 

 eight little points, blaciv but very luminous, which 

 constitute the eyes. At the back of the head, and 

 forming, as it were, t\Vo little paws, are the antennse, 

 which are constantly in motion. It is by the aid of 

 these organs of touch that the spider is able to make 

 herself acquainted with everything she comes across 

 on the road — the antennae enabling her to distinguish 

 what would be of use to her from what would be 

 hurtful. Such are these charming little creatures, 

 which are all sensibility, all intelligence, all heart, 

 and which shew an astonishing affection for their off- 

 spring. On one occasion, tempted by curiosity into 

 forgetting my duties as a member of the Society for 

 Preventing Cruelty to Animals, I had the barbarity 

 to tear open one of these spider's nests ; I was like a 

 child who wishes to see what is inside. I beheld 

 issuing from it an immense number of little eggs, 

 each smaller than a grain of semolina. I counted 

 as many as a hundred and fifty. Some of these 

 appearing rather deformed, I examined them with 

 the microscope, and ascertained that these eggs were 

 in process of transformation. I could already trace, 

 though somewhat indistinctly, the form of a nascent 

 si:)ider. But whilst I was engaged in making my obser- 

 vations, the poor mother, frightened and distressed, 

 rushed to see what had become of her beloved 

 eggs. She endeavoured to gather them together 

 again, but it was in vain, they were scattered far 

 and wide, and she was compelled to resign herself 

 to her unhappy fate. Another time, dare I avow it ? 

 I amused myself by tearing the silky envelope that 

 covered the nest, but the diligent mother soon set to 

 work spinning a patch to cover up exactly the breach 

 which I had made. I had the cruelty again several 

 times to attempt breaking into the domicile of this 

 innocent creature, but each time she set to work 

 afresh to repair the mischief which I had caused. 

 Ever since then I have entertained the highest respect 

 for these mothers, so devoted to their progeny, and I 

 proclaim everywhere the maternal affection of spiders. 

 " But it is not only the Clubiories which show so 

 much solicitude for their young ; the lycosa is equally 

 courageous in defending her eggs. As soon as they 

 are laid, she gathers them together in such a manner 

 as to form a little ball, which she then wraps in a 

 covering of silky tissue, not thick, but compact and 

 solid. The cocoon is of the shape and size of a 

 slightly flattened pea, and its smooth surface is 

 usually of a whitish grey. As this species of spider 

 is somewhat vagrant in her habits, instead of remain- 

 ing assiduously watching over her cocoon by resting 

 beside it, as do other spiders, she sticks it to her web, 

 drags it after her, and never quits it for an instant 

 during the chase, or even in ilie face of danger. 

 When pursued, she runs as quickly as the weight of 



her precious burden permits of her doing, but if any 

 attempt be made to seize hold of the cocoon, she stops 

 suddenly and tries to get it back. Berthoud has well 

 described the agitation of this poor mother. She 

 first of all turns herself slowly round the robber, then 

 approaches nearer and nearer to him by a series of jerky 

 movements, and finally throws herself upon him and 

 combats him with fury. But if the cocoon has been 

 destroyed, the lycosa retires into a corner, and dies 

 in a short time of sorrow and of numbness, for from 

 that time forth she takes no exercise. After a month, 

 at the outside, the germs become hatched and issue 

 from their prison, but are still too feeble to obtain food 

 for themselves, or even construct a web ; they would 

 inevitably perish, were their mother to abandon 

 them. From that time forward her maternal devo- 

 tion becomes redoubled. Obliged, in order to obtain 

 nourishment, to be incessantly on the watch, and un- 

 willing to be separated from her progeny, she places 

 her little ones upon her back, and, charged with this 

 beloved burden, pursues her way over hill and dale. 



"It is impossible to behold without emotion this 

 little creature, naturally so quick and jerky in all her 

 movements, acquire a motion so much gentler when 

 carrying her treasures. She carefully avoids all 

 dangers, only attacks easily-won prey, and abandons 

 all chance of obtaining such as would necessitate a 

 combat which might cause her to drop the young 

 ones, which press and move by hundreds round her 

 body. 



" Attention must have long been directed to the 

 habits of the lycosa in this respect, for the ancients 

 believed this species of spider to nourish, and even 

 suckle their young. Bonnet witnessed on one occa- 

 sion a touching and decisive proof of the marvellous 

 attachment borne by the lycosa to her offspring. He 

 threw one with its cocoons into the den of a large ant- 

 lion. The spider endeavoured to escape, but was not 

 sufficiently active to prevent the ant-lion from getting 

 possession of her bag of eggs, which he tried to cover 

 with sand. She made the most violent efforts to 

 counteract those of her invisible enemy ; but her 

 resistance was of no avail, the gluten which held the 

 sack gave way, and the sack became loosened. The 

 spider snatched it up with her mandibles, but only to 

 have it seized from her again by the ant-lion. The 

 unfortunate mother, vanquished in the struggle, could 

 still have saved her own life : she had only to abandon 

 the sack and escape from the fatal den, but she pre- 

 ferred being buried alive with the treasure which was 

 dearer to her than her own existence. It was by 

 force that Bonnet at last took her away, but the sack 

 of eggs remained in the robber's possession. In vain 

 did Bonnet draw the spider away several limes on a 

 small piece of wood. She persisted in remaining in 

 the scene of danger. Life had no longer any charms 

 for her ; she preferred remaining to be swallowed up 

 in the tomb where she had left the germs of her 



progeny. 



J.Y. 



