208 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



But in the case of females who, for whatever reason, have been be- 

 lated in positing their eggs, the frosts of early autumn probably have 

 the effect of retarding the process of development ; and Avhen 

 ^ . the later autumn frosts and the winter cold follow, the eggs of 

 such cocoons remain unhatched until the first warm days of 

 coming spring quicken their vitality. This is probably true of other spe- 

 cies than Argiope. I have never made any experiments upon the effect 

 of frost to retard or prevent the hatching of spider eggs, but am inclined 

 to think that cold has this effect upon tliem, as it is known to have upon 

 the development of insects. 



On May 22d, one exceedingly cold season, I found the young of Epeira 

 sclojictaria, at Atlantic City, all escaped from their cocoons, great num- 

 bers of which were fixed upon the cornices of various buildings around 

 the Inlet wharf. At the same time many cocoons of Epeira triaranea 

 liad the young still within tliem. I have had young Insular spiders 

 colonized upon my vines make their exode May Ulth. 



M. Vinson says tliat July 1st Gasteracantha liour- 



bonica, a Madagascar species, enclosed in a flagon, hail 



fixed her cocoon against the side. On the 25th the 



little spiders were hatched. They were perfect as to 



their forms, but were still imprisoned within the co- 



Fin. 241. Young Agaiena coou. They presented a blackish ap])earance. They 



stripping off the first issuod from the cocoon and scattered on the lltli of 



August, a period of seventeen days after hatching. So 



that under an African winter the hatching of eggs and escape of the 



young occupies a period of forty days. 



On the disengagement of young spiders from the egg every part is en- 

 closed in a membranous envelope; they are embarrassed in their move- 

 ments ; are unable to spin or seize prey, and seem indisposed 

 -i'^^, to action. For the unrestrained exercise of these functions it 



is requisite that they should extricate themselves from the cover- 

 ing which impedes them. This operation, or, as it may be termed, their 

 first moult, occurs after a period whose duration is regulated principally 

 by the temperature and moisture of the atmosphere. The first moult in- 

 variably takes place in the cocoon, or general envelope of the eggs, and 

 the young spiders do not quit the common nest until the weather is 

 mild and genial. ^ 



Once, while peeping inside a cocoon of Agaiena ntevia, I was fortu- 

 nate enough to observe a spiderling in the last stages of this first moult. 

 While it held on to the flossy nest with the two front and third pairs 

 of legs, the hind pair was drawn up and forward, and the feet grasped 

 the upper margin of the sack like shell, which, when first seen, was 



' Blackwall, "Spiders of Great Britain and Irelaml," Intro., page 6. 



