OOCOON LIFE AND BAEYHOOn. 221 



Ono of the young ladies in the natural history class of the school wrote 

 and ])ublished in the " Ogontz Mosaic" a versified account of the above 

 colony, which I venture to add, as a pleasant description of and happy 

 comment upon the incident. It may at least serve to brighten for a mo- 

 ment the dullness of these pages of details, and show that one may 

 find a gleam of poetic fancy even in the babyhood of despised Arai'hne's 

 cliililren. 



THK CHILDREN OF THE Sl'IDER 'VVEB. 



I^xiiEU a Jark-in-the-imli)it's care, 



AVhere the shadows aiv (loej), and the snnliiz'lit rare 



Tenderly kisses the maiden liair, 



A Idvinn; mother made her nest, 



And never did ri'st 



Till flossy hlankets and silken sheet 



Enelosed her eggs in a safe retreat. 



The hrood was safe, hut the mother dead, 



For love's last act spent life's last thread. 



And the fair eoeoon was left to swing 



Till winter's snow dissolved in spring. 



The air was warm and the sunshine soft; 



To and fro the hreezes tossed 



The tiny hammock of shining threads, 



Of shimmering, silvery spider wehs. 



Far from the sounds of war and strife 



Were the spider habies wooed to life. 



On one bright day they all awoke. 



Their prison doors they hurst and broke ; 



And, peeping through the barriers white, 



PiscoAered a wonderful world of light. 



With glad surjirise they looked around. 



Then a daring one, with a single bound. 



Went <lancing down on a tiny thread. 



Making his own little spider web. 



Gracefiil and airy, 



A real fair}'. 

 He entered this new fouml land of glory. 



The days went In-, and the babies grew. 

 Were their pleasures many, their sorrows few ? 

 Or within the silken canopy 



Was there acted out a tragedy? 



* * -s- -X- s- * 



Shall we e'er know the source 



Of that wonderful force 

 By which the good little mf)ther wove 

 Her babies' cradle with threads of love ? 

 Whv the eggs are laid by the little wife? 

 How the sunlight laughs them into life? 

 Where the shadows are deeji, and the sunshine rare 

 Tenderly kisses the maiden hair, 

 Beneath the Jack-in-the-pulpit rest 

 The mysteries of the spider's nest. 



