COCOON LIFE AND BABYHOOD. 245 



in diameter. The succeeding day, March 30th, was warm, and at ten 

 o'clock morning a young Atypus was observed to emerge from one of 

 these holes. It was shortly followed by others, until ten had left the home 

 of their birth never more to return. A few younglings also issued from 

 two others of the tubes. 



The first young Atypus that emerged walked a short distance to the 

 foot of a grass stem, up which it crawled, leaving its silken thread as 

 it went along. When it had climbed about an inch high an- 

 other young one came out, took hold of the first line, adding its 



, e ,, thread to it ; and so on, each successive youngling following the 

 leader, which,' by the time the tenth one emerged, had mounted 

 up several inches. As the leader climbed from stem to stem it bridged 

 over the intervening space with the never ending silken cord, along which 

 each successive spiderling followed, strengthening it as they passed, until 

 it became quite visible, glistening in the sun. 



The spiderlings above alluded to kept mounting up higher and higher, 

 and ascended to the top of a number of pea vine sticks which had been 

 planted in the neighborhood, and were about three feet and a half above 

 the ground. The first adventurer, having arrived at the top of one of 

 these sticks, walked around and around it. The others soon joined the 

 first, and none seemed inclined to descend by the way the party mounted. 

 The rising wind gently swayed the sticks about, until some of the spiders 

 were blown off into midair, but still keeping hold upon their endless 

 silken cord until they became attached to other sticks. These they mount- 

 ed as they did the first ; but were again and finally carried off by the 

 breeze at five o'clock afternoon, and landed upon the ground, where they 

 hid themselves among the grass and rubbish, no doubt taking lodgings 

 therein for the night, during which there was a sharp frost. 



The next morning all the small outlets of the tubes were carefully 

 spun up, and, judging by the character of the web, Mr. Enock thought 

 that the mothers had closed the openings to prevent the remaining mem- 

 bers of the family leaving the parental nest until more favorable weather 

 would permit them to do so with safety. 



The above behavior appears to represent accurately the ordinary habit 



of the spiderling Atypus immediately after exode. That is to say, it first 



seeks a position at the summit of any neighboring plants or 



elevated objects, from which it is carried away by the wind 



e ^ upon an aeronautic expedition of greater or less extent. Fall- 



Habits m & upon the earth, it conceals itself for a little while, and then 



proceeds to dig in the sand or soil a tube which is extremely 



minute, corresponding in size to the spider digging it. As the spider- 



ling grows it enlarges its tube, or, removing from the one in which its 



child life was passed, prepares another nest better adapted to its mature 



condition. 



