The Clotho Spider 



distance by a funicular aeroplane, the first 

 product of their spinning-mill. 



The elder Clotho remains behind, careless 

 of this emigration which leaves her alone. 

 She is far from being faded; indeed, she looks 

 younger than ever. Her fresh colour, her 

 robust appearance suggest great length of life, 

 capable of producing a second family. On 

 this subject I have but one document, a pretty 

 far-reaching one, however. There were a 

 few mothers whose actions I had the patience 

 to watch, despite the wearisome minutiae of 

 the rearing and the slowness of the result. 

 These abandoned their dwellings after the 

 departure of their young; and each went to 

 weave a new one for herself on the wire net- 

 work of the cage. 



They were rough-and-ready summaries, the 

 work of a night. Two hangings, one above 

 the other, the upper one flat, the lower con- 

 cave and ballasted with stalactites of grains 

 of sand, formed the new home, which, 

 strengthened daily by fresh layers, promised 

 to become similar to the old one. Why does 

 the Spider desert her former mansion, which 

 is in no way dilapidated far from it and 

 still exceedingly serviceable, as far as one can 

 375 



