THE WATER SPIDER. 575 
hatched under water, and lies submerged for a considerable time before it 
ever sees the land. Atsome little d. pth the mother spider spius a kind of 
egz or dome-shaped cell, with the opening downwarus. Having made this 
chamber, she ascends to the surface, and there charges her whole body witk 
air, arranging her hind-legs in such a 
manner that the bubble held between 
them cannot escape. She then dives 
into the w.ter, proceeds to her nest,” ‘ 
and vischarges the bubble into it. A 
quantity of water is thus displaced, 
and the upper part of the ceil is 
fillel with air. She then returns for 
a second supply, and so proceeds until 
the nest is full of air. i 
In this curious domicile the spider 
lives, and is thus able to deposit and 
to hatch her eg:s under the water 
without even wetting them. The 
reader will have no.iced the exact 
analogy between this sub-aquatic 
reside.ice and the diving-bell, now ; 
so generally employed. As to th2 
spider itself, it is never wet; and 
tho:gh it may be seen swimming 
rapidly about in the water, yet the 
moment it emerges from the surface 
its hairy body will be found as dry 
as that of any land spider. The 
reason for this phenomenon is, that 
the minute bubbles of air which 
always cling to the furred body repel 
the water and prevent it from mois- 
tening the skin. 
Tne eggs of this spider are inclosed 
in a kind of cup-shaped cocoon, not 
unlike the cover ofa circular vegetable 
dish. This cocoon may be seen in 
the illustration in the upper part of 
the cel. [t usually contains about a 
hundred little spherical eggs, which 
are not glued tozether. 
The Water Spider is a truly active 
creature, and its rapid movements 
can be watched by means of placing 
one of these Arachnida in a vessel 
nearly filled with water. If possible, 
some water plant, such as the = 
vallisneria or anacharis, should be WaTER sPIDER.—(Argyronetra aguatica\ 
also placed in the vessel. Here 
the spider will soon construct its web, and exhibit its curious habits. It 
must be well supplied with flies and other insects thrown into the water. 
It will pounce on them, carry them to its house, and there eat them. 
The simbs and cephalothorax of this species are brown. with a slight tinge 
of red; and the abdomen is brown, but washed with green. It is densely 
covered with hairs. Onthe middle of the upper surface of the abdomen 
