COMrARATIVE COCOONING INDUSTRIES. 165 



in work. But as her mutilation prevented her from making the ordinary- 

 speed in spinning, tliis cannot be taken as a fair test of the time which 



an able bodied spider would require for the same work. In 

 Tim© 



Spent in P°"^^ ^^ ^'^'^*'' ^ think that half the time, or from two hours 

 "Weaving. ^0 two and a half, is the period connnonly taken by the fe- 

 male Argiope eophinaria to construct her beautiful and intricate 

 cocoon. I had the opportunity, since making the above detailed observa- 

 tions, to see other Argiopes spinning their cocoons. The process is always 

 the same, except that those spiders which (unlike Prima) have both their 

 hinil legs, use them alternately in drawing out and packing the spinning 

 stuff. 



II. 



Without entering into details as fully as with Argiope, we may state 

 generally the methods of cocoon construction practiced by other species 

 . and tribes. This will give sufficient material for comparison. 



Theridium '^^^^ ®^'^^ mode of weaving is used by Epeira and all other 

 Orbweavers whose habit in this regard is known to me. Mr. 

 Emerton' gives a brief description of the manner in which Epeira strix 

 weaves her cocoon. She touches her spinnerets as in Fig. 200, drawing 

 them away at a short distance, and at tlie same time pressing upwards 

 with the hind feet, as in Fig. 201. Tlien she moves the abdomen a little 

 sidewise and attaches the bands of threads so as to form a loop. 8he 

 keeps making these loops, turning at the same time, so as to form a 

 rounded bunch of them. 



Of the Lineweavers, I have seen Theridium tepidai'iorum engaged in 

 overspinning her eggs. Fig. 202 represents this spider in the act of put- 

 ting the finishing touches upon the outer case of one cocoon, while two 

 others are hanging within the intersecting lines of her snare, from one 

 of which a little brood of spiderlings has already escaped. The cocoon 

 was suspended by a stout thread to the thickened mass near the top of 

 the web, upon which the mother held with one long fore leg while she 

 clasped and revolved her cocoon with the other legs. The spinning ma- 

 terial was drawn out and laid on in loops as described at length of 

 Argiope. 



The process of making a cocoon, as practiced by the Speckled Agalena, 

 was observed in the case of a female confined within a glass jar. A leaf 

 was laid against the inner side of the vessel as a suitable object 

 Makuig- ^ ^jpQjj wliicli to place the cocoon should the mother be inclined 

 Cocoon ^° ^^'^^ ^^' ^'"^ presently availed herself of the opportunity, and 

 wove upon the leaf a cocoon of the ordinary sort. I did not 

 observe the whole process, but saw the finishing. The silken rug had 



' "Habits and Structure," page 101. 



