THE SPIDER'S STRONGHOLD. 149 
bell pointing downwards. And up into the 
mouth of the bell swam the spider, and stopped. 
Quickly he detached the air-bubble from him 
with his hindlegs, and it floated to the top 
of the web-bell, and stayed there, held firm by 
the web roof. In almost less than no time 
the spider was away again, paddling swiftly 
to the surface, his legs going like the legs of 
a shrimp. 
A fish shot up out of the depths open- 
mouthed, missed him by a fraction of an inch, 
and passed ; but he did not seem to care. In 
a few seconds he was down again with another 
bubble, which was released into the web in 
the same way, and in a few seconds with 
another, and yet others, till the whole structure 
was full of air—was, in fact, a perfect minia- 
ture diving-bell. 
Then our spider calmly crawled inside his 
bell and waited for what might befall. 
Anon some tiny crawling larva of a gnat 
came wriggling along, and instantly, taking 
on his abdomen a supply of air, the spider 
was after it, had seized it, and carried it back 
to his strange lair. 
Anon, too, a little midge, falling upon the 
light above which marked the surface, was 
seized by the spider from below and carried 
down. 
