200 



AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWOHK. 



refused, but a little pith ball led them entirely astray. The following will 

 indicate the nature of some of their experiments. A pith ball three times 



as large as the cocoon of Pardosa pallida was refused by the 

 ~, 1 ?J a 8 mother. When reduced in size she took it between her falces 



and attached it to her abdomen. The bit of pith appeared to 



give as much satisfaction as the egg sac. When the cocoons 

 were nearly of a size, one mother would take that of another, although of 

 a different genus, just as quickly as she would her own. 



As a further test of general intelligence, the outer case was taken from 

 a cocoon of Pallida and slipped over a lead shot of the same size, but three 



or four times as heavy. Much of the silk envelope was broken 

 JlrT away in thus covering tbe shot, but when offered to the spider 



she at once seized it and after a good deal of trouble fastened 

 it to her abdomen. The load was so heavy that the mother had great 

 difficulty in walking up the side of a board. While transferring this spec- 

 imen to another box, the shot from its weight fell -from the abdomen, and 

 the mother spent over thirty minutes, working with all her might, fas- 

 tening it on again. Once more it fell off, and this time she carried it 

 about between the falces and the third pair of legs. A second specimen 

 of this species was tried with the plain shot, but would have nothing to 

 do with it. The web covered shot was then removed from the first speci- 

 men, and the plain shot offered to her instead, but this was stubbornly 

 refused, whereupon the web covered shot was returned and was taken back 

 with every evidence of tender emotion. 



Another test was made by offering a cocoon and a pith ball together. 

 The two objects were placed side by side. The mother, approaching one 



side, first touched the pith ball, and at once seized it with her 

 Touch falces. But as she moved away one of her fore legs touched the 

 T e f cocoon. She stopped, remained quiet a moment or two, then 



dropped the pith ball, took up the cocoon, and moved away with 

 it. The next day the two objects were again placed in front of her. This 

 time she also happened to meet the pith ball first, and, as before, took it 

 up at once. She ran off with it, and it was some time before the experi- 

 menters managed to place the real cocoon just in front of her. As soon 

 as her legs touched this she stood still, and then after a few minutes 

 dropped the pith ball and took up her eggs. 



From these observations it is evident that the spiders experimented 

 upon, when allowed to choose, can distinguish their own cocoons and have 

 a preference for them. But in the absence of their cocoons they content 

 themselves either with a pith ball or, more strangely still, with a web 

 covered shot. The presence of the web upon the shot makes a marked 

 difference in the disposition of the spider towards it. The contact of the 

 pure metal causes the rejection of the object, while contact with the web 

 covering thereof produces that complacency which leads the mother to 



