The Life of the Spider 



the breach even as they upholster the un- 

 touched part, without paying more attention 

 to it than to the rest of the walL Caring 

 nothing about the accident, they behave in 

 the same way as on a non-gutted dwelling. 

 The crevice is closed, in course of time, not 

 intentionally, but solely by the action of the 

 usual spinning. 



We arrive at the same conclusion on the 

 subject of the House Spider. Walking about 

 her platform every night, she lays fresh 

 courses without drawing a distinction between 

 the solid and the hoUow. She has not 

 deliberately put a patch in the torn texture; 

 she has simply gone on with her ordinary 

 business. If it happen that the hole is even- 

 tually closed, this fortunate result is the out- 

 come not of a special purpose, but of an 

 unvarying method of work. 



Besides, it is evident that, if the Spider 

 reaUy wished to mend her web, all her 

 endeavours would be concentrated upon the 

 rent. She would devote to it all the silk at 

 her disposal and obtain in one sitting a piece 

 very like the rest of the web. Instead of that, 

 what do we find ? Almost nothing : a hardly 

 visible gauze. 



270 



