XIV ‘ HABITS OF YOUNG SPIDERS 341 
The Lycosrag, or Wolf-spiders, which chase their prey instead 
of lying quietly in ambush to ensnare it, are exceedingly interest- 
ing in their treatment of their 
young. The cocoon, or bag of 
eges, 18 carried about on all 
their expeditions, attached be- 
neath the abdomen, or held by 
the jaws, and the young spiders, 
on escaping from it, mount on 
the mother’s back, and indulge 
vicariously in the pleasures of 
the chase from this point of 
vantage. The empty egg-bag 
is soon discarded, but the brood 
continues to ride on the mother’s 
back for about a week, dis- 
mounting only to follow her as 
she enters her little silk-lined 
retreat in the ground. 
During this time they appear ",288>4 Pandaw sp. 2, itl, young 
to require no food, but they at detached ; C, outline of the Spider 
length begin oa disperse, ine ae removed, (From the living 
mother gently but firmly re- 
moving such individuals as are disposed to trespass upon her 
maternal solicitude longer than she considers desirable. 
Many young spiders of various Families proceed immediately 
to seek new hunting-grounds by the aid of the wind, and become 
for the time being diminutive aeronauts. This habit was observed 
by the earliest British araneologist, Martin Lister,’ as long ago 
as 1670, and has been alluded to by many writers since his 
time. 
The topmost bar of an iron railing in spring or early autumn 
will generally be found peopled with minute spiders, and if the 
day be fair and the wind light, the patient observer may be 
rewarded by a curious and interesting sight. 
The spider seeks the highest spot available, faces the wind, 
and straightens its legs and body, standing, so to speak, upon its 
toes, its abdomen with its spinning tubes being elevated as much 
as possible. Streamers of silk presently appear from the spin- 
1 Correspondence of John Ray, p. 77. 
