324 The Life of the Spider 



condition. In the vast majority of instances, 

 the eggs, once lodged in a favourable spot, are 

 abandoned to themselves, left to the chances 

 of good or ill fortune. The Spider of the brush- 

 wood, on the contrary, endowed with greater 

 maternal devotion, has, like the Crab Spider, 

 to mount guard over hers until they hatch. 



With a few threads and some small leaves 

 joined together, the Crab Spider builds, above 

 her lofty nest, a rudimentary watch-tower 

 where she stays permanently, greatly emaciated, 

 flattened into a sort of wrinkled shell through 

 the emptying of her ovaries and the total 

 absence of food. And this mere shred, hardly 

 more than a skin that persists in living without 

 eating, stoutly defends her egg-sack, shows 

 fight at the approach of any tramp. She does 

 not make up her mind to die until the little 

 ones are gone. 



The Labyrinth Spider is better treated. 

 After laying her eggs, so far from becoming 

 thin, she preserves an excellent appearance and 

 a round belly. Moreover, she does not lose 

 her appetite and is always prepared to bleed a 

 Locust. She therefore requires a dwelling with 



