241 



This is made in the autiiinn, and contains at that season a large 

 nnniber of egg^i — five hundred or more. Tliese eggs liateli early 

 in the winter; but no spiders emerge from the egg-sac until the fol- 

 lowing spring. If egg-sacs of this kind be opened at different 

 times during the winter, the spiders will be found to increase in size 

 but diminish in numbers as the season advances. In fact a strange 



tragedy goes on within these egg- 

 sacs : the stronger spiders cahnly 

 devour their weaker brothers, and 

 in the spring those that survive 

 12S.—Li/cosa and egg-sac. emerge sufficiently nourished to 



fio'ht their battles in the ontside world. 



The females of the liumiing Spiders not only make a carefully 

 constructed egg-sac, but iilso care for the young spiders for a time. 

 The running spiders are the large, dark-colored, hairy spiders, often 

 found under stones and rubbish ; they are so called because they 



r 



capture their prey by running. The females of most of the species 

 (those of the genus Lycosa) drag after them their egg-sac, which is 

 attached to the spinnerets (Fig. 133); and when the young hatch, 

 tliey climb on their mother's back, and are carried about for a time. 



134. — Nursery of Bolomedes 



One of the running spiders {Doloiiiedes) carries her egg-sac with 



her mandibles until the young are ready to emerge. At this time 



the mother fastens the egg-sac in a bush, and spins irregular threads 



al)out it, among which the young spiders remain for a time (Fig. 



131). In the specimen figured the egg-sac was concealed in the 



upper part of the web. 



841 



