u6 ROMANCE OF THE INSECT WORLD CHAP. 



there, she disengages the air. These journeyings 

 are repeated perhaps fourteen times, and at last 

 her apartment becomes full of air to the exclusion of 

 water, the globules of air having replaced the water. 

 Into the dome she enters, and settles to rest, undis- 

 turbed by the agitations above, head lowermost, after 

 the manner of her tribe. The air acquired is 

 mechanically entangled in the tissue covering the 

 animal's body, and is held on by the two hinder legs, 

 which are crossed over the abdomen at the instant 

 that the bubble is seized. To this home the spider 

 brings her prey, and in it lays her eggs, spinning a 

 white silken saucer-shaped cocoon for them, and 

 placing it against the inner side of the cell and 

 near the top. The young remain beneath with their 

 mother until they are grown a little, and have become 

 strong enough to form sub-aquatic dwellings on their 

 own account. 



The so-called raft spider (Dolomedes fimbriatus] 

 is amongst the largest of the British species, and 

 the globular cocoon, which the female carries about 

 with her, may contain as many as several hundreds 

 of eggs. The spider not only lies in wait for its 

 prey, but chases them like a carnivorous verte- 

 brate.* It pursues them on land, and in the water, 

 on the surface of which it runs fearlessly. When 

 thus employed it gathers a quantity of dry leaves 

 and rubbish, and unites the collection together with 

 threads of silk into a resting-place or raft. On 

 this the maker sits, and is blown about by the 

 winds and currents. It knows no lack. Aquatic 

 insects are constantly coming up to the outer air to 



