1 78 The Life of the Spider 



breaks and flies away, carrying the rope-maker 

 with it. The number of starters on any one 

 morning is so small as to rob the spectacle of 

 the greater part of its interest. The scene lacks 

 animation because of the absence of a crowd. 



To my intense disappointment, the Silky 

 Epeira does not either indulge in a tumultuous 

 and dashing exodus. Let me remind you of 

 her handiwork, the handsomest of the maternal 

 wallets, next to the Banded Epeira's. It is an 

 obtuse conoid, closed with a star-shaped disk. 

 It is made of a stouter and especially a thicker 

 material than the Banded Epeira's balloon, 

 for which reason a spontaneous rupture becomes 

 more necessary than ever. 



This rupture is effected at the sides of the 

 bag, not far from the edge of the lid. Like the 

 ripping of the balloon, it requires the rough aid 

 of the heat of July. Its mechanism also seems 

 to work by the expansion of the heated air, 

 for we again see a partial emission of the silky 

 floss that fills the pouch. 



The exit of the family is performed in a single 

 group and, this time, before the moult, perhaps 

 for lack of the space necessary for the delicate 



