The Clotho Spider 



wall of the cabin, a proof that the chase 

 was successfully resumed after my depar- 

 ture. 



The Clotho, who is not only nocturnal, but 

 also excessively shy, conceals her habits from 

 us; she shows us her works, those precious 

 historical documents, but hides her actions, 

 especially the laying, which I estimate ap- 

 proximately to take place in October. The 

 sum total of the eggs is divided into five or 

 six small, flat, lentiform pockets, which, taken 

 together, occupy the greater part of the 

 maternal home. These capsules have each 

 their own partition-wall of superb white satin, 

 but they are so closely soldered, both to- 

 gether and to the floor of the house, that it is 

 impossible to part them without tearing them, 

 impossible, therefore, to obtain them sep- 

 arately. The eggs in all amount to about a 

 hundred. 



The mother sits upon the heap of pockets 

 with the same devotion as a brooding hen. 

 Maternity has not withered her. Although 

 decreased in bulk, she retains an excellent look 

 of health; her round belly and her well- 

 stretched skin tell us from the first that her 

 part is not yet wholly played. 



373 



