The Narbonne Lycosa 77 



time, the fangs grip this sheet, Uft it by degrees, 

 tear it from its base and fold it over upon the 

 globe of eggs. It is a laborious operation. The 

 whole edifice totters, the floor collapses, fouled 

 with sand. By a movement of the legs, those 

 soiled shreds are cast aside. Briefly, by means 

 of violent tugs of the fangs, which pull, and 

 broom-like efforts of the legs, which clear away, 

 the Lycosa extricates the bag of eggs and 

 removes it as a clear-cut mass, free from any 

 adhesion. 



It is a white-silk pill, soft to the touch and 

 glutinous. Its size is that of an average cherry. 

 An observant eye will notice, running horizon- 

 tally around the middle, a fold which a needle 

 is able to raise without breaking it. This hem, 

 generally undistinguishable from the rest of 

 the surface, is none other than the edge of 

 the circular mat, drawn over the lower hemi- 

 sphere. The other hemisphere, through which 

 the youngsters will go out, is less well fortified : 

 its only wrapper is the texture spun over the 

 eggs immediately after they were laid. 



Inside, there is nothing but the eggs : no 

 mattress, no soft eiderdown, like that of the 



