The Narbonne Lycosa: The Burrow 



industry, contrived with a view to some ex- 

 perimental mischief; and his surprise is great 

 when I confess who the real author is. No 

 one would ever believe the Spider capable of 

 constructing such a monument. 



It goes without saying that, in a state of 

 liberty, on our barren waste-lands, the Ly- 

 cosa does not indulge in such sumptuous 

 architecture. I have given the reason: she is 

 too great a stay-at-home to go in search of 

 materials and she makes use of the limited 

 resources which she finds around her. Bits 

 of earth, small chips of stone, a few twigs, 

 a few withered grasses; that is all, or nearly 

 all. Wherefore the work is generally quite 

 modest and reduced to a parapet that hardly 

 attracts attention. 



My captives teach us that, when materials 

 are plentiful, especially textile materials that 

 remove all fears of landslip, the Lycosa de- 

 lights in tall turrets. She understands the art 

 of donjon-building and puts it into practice 

 as often as she possesses the means. 



This art is akin to another, from which it 

 is apparently derived. If the sun be fierce 

 or if rain threaten, the Lycosa closes the en- 

 trance to her dwelling with a silken trellis- 



i35 



