576 



Egg- Cases of Spiders. 



It is not uncommon for the young of spiders to remain to- 

 gether for a season, protected by the mother, before they are 

 dispersed. The rushes were easily reached by the webs of 

 the female, and would afford a very safe support for these egg- 

 cases, even supposing they did not belong to 

 those spiders which are said to traverse the 

 water. 



The following Shapes [of Egg-Cases (Theccc 

 Guild.) of Spiders'] are known to me: — 



1. Bottle-shaped ; the upper and fixed 

 extremity very much attenuated, and the bot- 

 tom flat and closed. (Mag. Nat. Hist.> ii. 104. 

 fig. 23. A. A.) 



[We exhibit here the figure presented in 

 II. 104. (Jig. 56.), which Mr. Guilding had 

 cited. Particulars on the subject which the 

 figure illustrates are registered in II. 104-., 

 and mentions of the discovery of similar egg- 

 cases, or nests, are registered in II. 303. 405 

 —406 ; III. 458. In III. 458. are remarks 

 in elucidation of the previously registered 

 cases, a mention of " analogous nests," and, 

 " figures of our beautiful nidus in its un- 

 plastered and plastered state." These figures 

 we give here (fg. 57.)> an d quote, in explana- 

 tion of the plastered condition, thus much : — 

 " . . . . This snow-white silken fabric is con- 

 cealed by a covering of mud soon after it is 



spun I met with one partly covered 



with mud, which led me to the discovery of 

 others thoroughly plastered over. In this 

 state they resembled bits of dirt splashed from 

 the road on the stalks of grass. The plaster was evidently 

 collected by the parent spider from the moist bed of the drain 

 57 A from which the grass 



grew [whose stems were 

 bearing the egg-cases]. 

 I could have collected 

 dozens of the nests in the 

 different states : the plas- 

 tered ones were the most 

 numerous." The col- 

 lection of notes from Mr. 

 Guilding is on subjects in Vols. I. and II. of this Magazine ; 

 and hence, there is not a note on the case cited.] 



The rest are in my own cabinet: I have sketched them for 

 the journal. 



