136 The Life of the Spider 



To wind up the mechanism of their muscles, 

 they recruit themselves direct with heat and 

 light. During the time when she was dragging 

 the bag of eggs behind her, the mother, at the 

 best moments of the day, came and held up 

 her pill to the sun. With her two hind-legs, she 

 lifted it out of the ground, into the full light ; 

 slowly she turned it and returned it, so that 

 every side might receive its share of the vivi- 

 fying rays. Well, this bath of life, which 

 awakened the germs, is now prolonged to keep 

 the tender babes active. 



Daily, if the sky be clear, the Lycosa, carry- 

 ing her young, comes up from the burrow, leans 

 on the kerb and spends long hours basking in 

 the sun. Here, on their- mother's back, the 

 youngsters stretch their limbs delightedly, 

 saturate themselves with heat, take in reserves 

 of motor power, absorb energy. 



They are motionless ; but, if I only blow 

 upon them, they stampede as nimbly as though 

 a hurricane were passing. Hurriedly, they 

 disperse ; hurriedly, they reassemble : a proof 

 that, without material nourishment, the little 

 animal machine is always at full pressure, ready 



