The Clotho Spider 339 



It is the ideal blanket. Above is a canopy 

 or tester of equal softness. Between the two 

 nestles the Spider, short-legged, clad in 

 sombre garments, with five yellow favours on 

 her back. 



Rest in this exquisite retreat demands perfect 

 stability, especially on gusty days, when sharp 

 draughts penetrate beneath the stone. This 

 condition is admirably fulfilled. Take a care- 

 ful look at the habitation. The arches that 

 gird the roof with a balustrade and bear the 

 weight of the edifice are fixed to the slab by 

 their extremities. Moreover, from each point 

 of contact, there issues a cluster of diverging 

 threads that creep along the stone and cUng to 

 it throughout their length, which spreads afar. 

 I have measured some fully nine inches long. 

 These are so many cables ; they represent the 

 ropes and pegs that hold the Arab's tent in 

 position. With such supports as these, so numer- 

 ous and so methodically arranged, the hammock 

 cannot be torn from its bearings save by the 

 intervention of brutal methods with which the 

 Spider need not concern herself, so seldom do 

 they occur. 



