The Structure and Habits of Spiders, 53 



THE WATER-SPIDER. 



There is one spider that makes a bag of silk, 

 something like those just mentioned, on water- 

 plants, and lives in it under water, as in a div- 

 ing-bell ; the opening being below, so that the 

 air cannot escape. Mr. Bell, in " The Journal 

 of the Linnaean Society," vol. L, 1857, describes 

 the filling of these nests with air by the spider. 

 After the nest had been made as large as half 

 an acorn, she went to the surface, and returned, 

 fourteen times successively, and each time 

 brought down a bubble of air, which she let 

 escape into the nest. The bubble was held by 

 the spinnerets and two hind-feet, which were 

 crossed over them ; and the method of catching 

 it was the following : The spider climbed up on 

 threads or plants nearly to the surface, and put 

 the end of the abdomen out of water for an 

 instant, and then jerked it under, at the same 

 time crossing the hindrlegs quickly over it. 

 She then walked down the plants to her nest, 

 opened her hind-feet, and let the bubble go. 



The water-spiders run about on water-plants, 

 and catch the insects which live among them. 



