The Life of the Spider 



greater marvel than the bird's nest. In 

 shape it is an inverted balloon, nearly the 

 size of a pigeon's egg. The top tapers like a 

 pear and is cut short and crowned with a 

 scalloped rim, the corners of which are 

 lengthened by means of moorings that fasten 

 the object to the adjoining twigs. The whole, 

 a graceful ovoid, hangs straight down, amid 

 a few threads that steady it. 



The top is hollowed into a crater closed 

 with a silky padding. Every other part is 

 contained in the general wrapper, formed of 

 thick, compact white satin, difficult to break 

 and impervious to moisture. Brown and 

 even black silk, laid out in broad ribbons, in 

 spindle-shaped patterns, in fanciful meridian 

 waves, adorns the upper portion of the ex- 

 terior. The part played by this fabric is 

 self-evident: it is a waterproof cover which 

 neither dew nor rain can penetrate. 



Exposed to all the inclemencies of the 

 weather, among the dead grasses, close to the 

 ground, the Epeira's nest has also to protect 

 its contents from the winter cold. Let us 

 cut the wrapper with our scissors. Under- 

 neath, we find a thick layer of reddish-brown 

 silk, not worked into a fabric this time, but 



