110 HOME STUDIES IN NATURE. 



young are anxious to go out in the world. It is an- 

 other pleasant day, and I again give them the oppor- 

 tunity ; now only five besides the little house-keeper are 

 left behind, and the next day I release two of these, 

 leaving only four, and one of these has also concluded 

 to settle down and build a cosy home in the jar. It 

 builds precisely like the first, and has the same trouble 

 with its inquisitive little brothel's.. It has chosen _ the 

 site of its domicile not two inches distant from its sis- 

 ter's, and here they sit contentedly on the top of their 

 towers, often facing each other, and watching the tiny, 

 scavenger beetles that breed in the jar and live on 

 the refuse insects thrown out by the mother. These 

 beetles are food for the young spiders, yet I think 

 they are not to their taste as much as flies; but they 

 dare not yet attack a living house-fly. If one comes 

 near them, they quickly dodge within their burrows. 

 If I kill a fly and lay it on the tower, either will try to 

 take it within, but it is impossible to do this with the 

 wings and legs adhering; yet it is wonderful to see 

 their attempts. They turn it first one way and then 

 another, and get beneath it and pull. I remove the 

 wings and legs, and lay it back, when it is soon carried 

 below. After a few hours the dry carcass is brought 

 up and thrown out. 



Wishing to photograph the mother's tower, I found 

 it necessary to remove it from the jar. This seems to 

 nonplus her; she does not know what to make of it. 

 All at once her house is on a level with the ground. 



