1903.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 109 



indistinctly seen ; this drop was not very transparent, so that I could 

 not determine whether the drop was first exuded and then the ova 

 rolled into it, or whether they were discharged together, but appear- 

 ances were more in favor of the last supposition. This drop was very 

 viscid and of thick consistency, holding a spherical shape and enclosing 

 the ova, and adhering firmly to the silken ball. At 8.27 she completely 

 freed herself from the drop, and then commenced to spin over it. This 

 was accomplished by hanging with the first and second pair of legs 

 from the web, the legs of the fourth pair in alternate use applying the 

 thread to the surface of the drop ; while the third pair of legs and the 

 palpi were employed in concerted action so as to revolve the whole mass 

 on its suspending silken thread. The spinnerets at this stage were 

 not applied directly to the cocoon, From 8.27 until 8.55 she was on 

 the left side of the cocoon, revolving it slowly from right to left; from 

 8.55 to 8.58 on the right side, then turning it in the opposite direction; 

 from 8.58 until 9.00 on the left side of it, revolving it again from 

 right to left. At this time the cocoon was of nearly its final size, almost 

 spherical, its diameter a little greater than the length of her body. 

 The egg mass and the original silken ball were completely covered and 

 hidden by closely matted brownish silk. From 9.00 until 9.17 she 

 crawled slowly over its surface, pressing against it with the tips of her 

 palpi used alternately, evidently to mat down and smooth the whole, 

 the feet being used simply to hold on with. At 9.17 she started 

 applying new anchoring threads to the cocoon, this process continuing 

 until 9.25; this was done by applying the spinnerets directly to the 

 cocoon, then carrying each thread so fastened to an adjacent part of 

 the web; about 15-20 such supporting threads, attached to different 

 parts of the cocoon, were made. She rested until 10.05, then made a 

 few more supporting lines. 



9 No. 202 likewise commenced cocooning by making a ball of curled 

 threads, as did No. 16, her cephalothorax placed above her abdomen 

 during the process. This continued up to 8.28 A.M., when she held 

 her epigynal aperture against the lower surface of the ball and ovi- 

 posited upon it at that point; the oviposition lasted from 8.28 to 8.31, 

 the ova coming slowly out of the genital aperture one at a time and in- 

 cluded in a viscid drop. At 8.32^ she commenced spinning again, 

 covering first the lower surface of the mass of ova, then the sides, the 

 cocoon becoming regular in form by her revolving it. This continued 

 until 9.25 without interruption, when she stopped spinning, and instead 

 slowly revolved the cocoon (now brown in color) and kneaded its 

 surface with her palpi; this continued until 9.45, when she bit loose 



