330 The Life of the Spicier 



been allowed to soak through. Put aside that 

 idea, says the satin wall, which itself is per- 

 fectly clean inside. It is most certainly the 

 mother's doing, a deliberate piece of work, 

 executed with minute care. The grains of sand 

 are stuck together with a cement of silk ; and 

 the whole resists the pressure of the fingers. 



If we continue to unshell the kernel, we find, 

 below this mineral layer, a last silken tunic 

 that forms a globe around the brood. No sooner 

 do we tear this final covering than the frightened 

 little ones run away and scatter with an agility 

 that is singular at this cold and torpid season. 



To sum up, when working in the natural state, 

 the Labyrinth Spider builds around the eggs, 

 between two sheets of satin, a wall composed 

 of a great deal of sand and a little silk. To 

 stop the Ichneumon's probe and the teeth of 

 the other ravagers, the best thing that occurred 

 to her was this hoarding which combines the 

 hardness of flint with the softness of muslin. 



This means of defence seems to be pretty 

 frequent among Spiders. Our own big House 

 Spider, Tegenaria domestica, encloses her eggs 

 in a globule strengthened with a rind of silk 



