The Life of the Spider 



special architectural rules, they both employ 

 the same means as a protection against the 

 cold. 



As we see, the egg-bag of the Epeirae, 

 particularly that of the Banded Epeira, is an 

 important and complex work. Various ma- 

 terials enter into its composition: white silk, 

 red silk, brown silk; moreover, these materi- 

 als are worked into dissimilar products : stout 

 cloth, soft eiderdown, dainty satinette, porous 

 felt. And all of this comes from the same 

 workshop that weaves the hunting-net, warps 

 the zigzag ribbon-band and casts an entan- 

 gling shroud over the prey. 



What a wonderful silk- factory it is ! With 

 a very simple and never-varying plant, con- 

 sisting of the hind-legs and the spinnerets, it 

 produces, by turns, rope-maker's, spinner's, 

 weaver's, ribbon-maker's and fuller's work. 

 How does the Spider direct an establish- 

 ment of this kind? How does she obtain, at 

 will, skeins of diverse hues and grades? 

 How does she turn them out, first in this 

 fashion, then in that? I see the results, but 

 I do not understand the machinery and still 

 less the process. It beats me altogether. 



The Spider also sometimes loses her head 

 96 



