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After tlie iclineuinon flies had disappeared, a new difficulty arose. 

 The ground became moldy, and the grass died down. The terrarium 

 was then |)Iaced by an open window and left there several hours 

 for a number of days until it was thoroughly dried out. Then bird 

 seed was planted and the ground was watered thereafter with a small 

 plant syringe. This gave sufficient, but not excessive moisture, and 

 it was one of the pleasures of the children to imitate a rainy day in 

 tlie terrarium world. And it was a pleasing experience, for there 

 were splashes of water on the glass sides and many shining drops on 

 the netting and verdure, which soon grew several inches tall ; there 

 was the same delightful odor of rich fresh earth that one enjoys 

 during summer rains, and the sunshine touclied with brilliancy the 

 gay fall flowers and the gorgeous outspread wings of the butterflies. 



At this time the terrarium had an annex in the shape of a wooden 

 box, a foot square, with a gauze top. Here lived two mother spiders 

 with their egg-balls carefully hung on the cobweb beams of their 

 homes. A beautiful yellow silk egg ball was found out of doors 

 one day, and when it was carefully opened to show the eggs with 

 which it was filled, the gratifying discovery was made that these 

 eggs were hatching. They were very tiny and very numerous. 

 They were inclosed in a silken pouch and were the exact color of its 

 lining. When resting the little spiders seemed to hold their legs 

 under the body, and they were so small and so like the egg in 

 general appearance that if they had not run about when disturbed 

 they would never have been discovered. As soon as the egg-ball 

 was opened, they exploited their one talent, for they ran out on 

 the fingers of the person who held the ball and then suspended 

 themselves by almost invdsiljle threads from all parts of the fingers. 

 When they were to be returned to the egg ball, they were gently 

 pushed up. They then obligingly ran back into their silken home, 

 which was carefully closed as before. These little ones were kept a 

 week or ten days and were then allowed to escape and establish 

 homes for themselves. The life history of the spider was thus com- 

 pleted, although unfortunately the adult spiders did not belong to 

 the same species as the young ones. 



To return to the terrarium : It was now early in ITovember and 



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d^iArita 



