The Structure and HeUrits of Spiders. 105 



neighborhood of spiders' nests, and may some- 

 times be seen trying to stick their ovipositor 

 through a cocoon. If they succeed, their eggs 

 hatch before the spiders, and eat the latter up. 

 Other parasites lay eggs on the backs of young 

 spiders, and the larva lives attached to the out- 

 side till it gets nearly as large as the spider 

 iteelf. 



GROWTH IX THE EGG. 



The ^g of a spider, like that of any other 

 animal, is a cell which separates from the body 

 of the female, and afterwards unites w-ith one 

 or more cells which have separated from the 

 body of the male. This fertilization of the 

 e^s probably takes place when they have 

 reached their full size, and are about to be laid. 



After the ^gs are laid and hardened, it is 

 \'ery easy to watch their development They 

 grow just as w^ anywhere else as in the 

 cocoon, and, in order to see through the shell, 

 it is only necessary to cover the egg to be 

 examined, with oil, alcohol, or any liquid that 

 will wet it 



Just after it is laid, the egg looks like Fig. 

 63, a; or, if the ^g is more opaque, only the 



