The Life of the Spider 



another condition. In the vast majority of 

 instances, the eggs, once lodged in a favour- 

 able spot, are abandoned to themselves, left 

 to the chances of good or ill fortune. The 

 Spider of the brush-wood, on the contrary, en- 

 dowed with greater maternal devotion, has, 

 like the Crab Spider, to mount guard over 

 hers until they hatch. 



With a few threads and some small leaves 

 joined together, the Crab Spider builds, 

 above her lofty nest, a rudimentary watch- 

 tower where she stays permanently, greatly 

 emaciated, flattened into a sort of wrinkled 

 shell through the emptying of her ovaries and 

 the total absence of food. And this mere 

 shred, hardly more than a skin that persists in 

 living without eating, stoutly defends her egg- 

 sack, shows fight at the approach of any 

 tramp. She does not make up her mind to 

 die until the little ones are gone. 



The Labyrinth Spider is better treated. 

 After laying her eggs, so far from becoming 

 thin, she preserves an excellent appearance 

 and a round belly. Moreover, she does not 

 lose her appetite and is always prepared to 

 bleed a Locust. She therefore requires a 

 dwelling with a hunting-box close to the eggs 



350 



