MOULTING HABITS OF SPIDERS. 91 



themselves to nourish the stronger. To this end also serve the infertile 

 or undeveloped eggs, of which there are usually more or less in most 

 cocoons. 



II. 



We may pursue in detail the habits of a few sjsecies during their first 



moult. A brood of Epeiras that much interested me appeared upon the 



honeysuckle vines in my manse yard on the morning of May 19th. 



oung They were then assembled beneath a large leaf which formed the 



roof of a little room of clustered foliage. (See Fig. 57, central 



group.) The assemblage was in a hemispherical mass an inch and a half 



in diameter and three-fourths inch to an inch thick. The entire outward 



opening of the cavity in which the spiderlings were gathered was filled 



with a rather closely spun tissue of silk lines, which extended downward 



for several inches, attached intermediately at several points to other leaves 



and forming a hollow cone of spinningwork. In the evening, May 19th, 



the assemblage was broken up into several distinct groujas that hung like 



bunches of tiny grapes at various points of the cavity. 



May 20th was a showery day, and at one time there was as severe a 

 downpour of rain as falls in this climate. I feared the effect of such a 

 torrent upon the baby spiders, but found that they stood the shower with 

 no apparent inconvenience. Fortunately, there was but little wind, or the 

 lashing of the vines might have been more disastrous than the rain, which, 

 however, had the effect of causing the spiderlings to break up their sepa- 

 rate groups and reassemble again into one ball. A few of the more adven- 

 turous spirits had separated themselves from the mass and were struggling 

 with minute particles of moisture that beaded the defensive .sjtinningwork, 

 and ai^peared to be engaged in drinking. Indeed, the whole brood, con- 

 sisting of several hundred individuals, seemed rather to enjoy than dislike 

 the rain. No doubt at this stage water is necessary, or at least helpful, for 

 their nourishment. 



May 21st was a cold day for the season, and the spiderlings hung 

 without any change in the assemblage above described. Towards evening, 

 however, a few were engaged in shedding their skins, having detached 

 themselves from the main mass for this purpose, and suspended themselves 

 by lines that threaded the entire width of their dwelling. 



May 22d, large numbers of the brood were engaged in moulting. By 

 the use of an ordinary pocket lens the little fellows were seen pulling off 

 their tinv coats, which they did in a few minutes without diffi- 

 lA \^ culty, leaving the moults suspended upon the lines. They them- 

 ' selves came out looking bright and fresh, the abdomen a clear 

 yellow, the fore part of the body transparent white. By noon the leafy 

 domicile was filled with the grayish white skins which had been shed, 

 giving the whole affair the appearance of the manse yard when the laundry 



