The Inhabitants of the Aquarium 303 



treme posterior end of the body and shaping 

 it with the help of the legs. 



The nest being finished, the spider goes 

 to the surface and not only inhales air, but 

 gathers a considerable amount of it between 

 the fine hair-covering of her body, so that 

 under water the latter has the appearance of 

 a ball of liquid silver or mercury. Entering 

 the nest from below, the spider releases part 

 of the air, thereby filling and inflating the 

 balloon and gradually forcing the water out. 

 This process is repeated until the nest is 

 completely filled with air so that it forms a 

 large bubble, securely anchored and at a 

 sufficient depth below the surface, to escape 

 disturbances from above. In this dry little 

 home the family life of the spider is spent, 

 here the eggs are laid in a solid well-pro- 

 tected mass and here the young remain until 

 they are sufficiently strong to leave the 

 sheltering nest. Their nourishment consists 

 of small insects. In the aquarium they can 

 be kept on flies. The male's part in the 



