SPIDERS AND THEIR WAYS. 



793 



first stage of the making of its silvery robe. Going immediately 

 to the spot it had chosen, it brushes its body with its paws, when 

 the air detaches itself and forms a bubble under the leaf. The 



Fig. 5.— Aquatic Spider and its Diving-Bell. 



spider surrounds this bubble with the impermeable silky matter 

 furnished by its spinneret. Returning to the surface, it takes in 

 another layer of air, which it carries down and adds to the first 



VOL. XXXIII. — 51 



