I02 The Life of the Spider 



of her home. I am not well acquainted with 

 the reasons that prompt her to barricade her- 

 self indoors, particularly as the seclusion is 

 only temporary and varies greatly in duration. 

 I obtain precise details from a tribe of Ly- 

 cosae wherewith the enclosure, as will be seen 

 later, happens to be thronged in consequence 

 of my investigations into the dispersal of the 

 family. 



At the time of the tropical August heat, I 

 see my Lycosae, now this batch, now that, 

 building, at the entrance to the burrow, a convex 

 ceiling, which is difficult to distinguish from 

 the surrounding soil. Can it be to protect 

 themselves from the too- vivid light ? This 

 is doubtful ; for, a few days later, though the 

 power of the sun remain the same, the roof 

 is broken open and the Spider reappears at 

 her door, where she revels in the torrid heat of 

 the dog-days. 



Later, when October comes, if it be rainy 

 weather, she retires once more under a roof, as 

 though she were guarding herself against the 

 damp. Let us not be too positive of anything, 

 however : often, when it is raining hard, the 



