The Spiders' Exodus 



pad:ed within would sprain their legs in ex- 

 tracting them from their sheaths. The fam- 

 ily, therefore, emerges in a body and settles 

 on a sprig hard by. 



This is a temporary camping-ground, where, 

 spinning in unison, the youngsters soon weave 

 an open-work tent, the abode of a week, or 

 thereabouts. The moult is effected in this 

 lounge of intersecting threads. The sloughed 

 skins form a heap at the bottom of 

 the dwelling; on the trapezes above, the 

 flaylings take exercise and gain strength and 

 \-igour. Finally, when maturity is attained, 

 they set out, now these, now those, little by 

 little and always cautiously. There are no 

 audacious flights on the thready air-ship; the 

 journey is accomplished by modest stages. 



Hanging to her thread, the Spider lets her- 

 self drop straight down, to a depth of nine or 

 ten inches. A breath of air sets her swinging 

 like a pendulum, sometimes drives her against 

 a neighbouring branch. This is a step towards 

 the dispersal. At the point reached, there is 

 a fresh faU, followed by a fresh p>endulous 

 swing that lands her a little farther afield. 

 Thus, in short tadcs, for the thread is never 

 verv long, does the Spiderling go about, see- 



211 



