102 The Structure and Habits of Spiders. 



the abdomen a little sidewise, and attaches the 

 band of threads so as to form a loop. She 

 keeps making these loops, turning round, at the 

 same time, so as to form a rounded bunch of 

 them, into the middle of which she afterwards 

 lays the eggs, as in Fig. 60. The eggs, which 

 are like a drop of jelly, are held up by the loose 

 threads till the spider has time to spin under 



Fig. 60. 



them a covering of stronger silk. Epcira 

 vulgaris makes a similar cocoon upward, down- 

 ward, or sidewise, as may be most convenient. 



Most of the Theridiidce make cocoons of 

 loose silk, held up in the web by numerous 

 threads. Some hang the cocoon by a stem, 

 Fig. 61. 



The large species of Argiope makes a big 



