64 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



II. 



The maternal and sexual instincts exercise a decided influence upon 

 the industrial activity and art of spiders. 



The influence of the maternal feeling is decidedly manifest in the spin- 

 ningwork of the female spider. I have often observed that with insects, 

 as ants, wasps, and bees, the habits by which their wonderful 

 Maternity architecture is created are prompted by and revolve about the 

 Inspires ^..^^.^ ^^ ^j^^ young. It is most manifestly so with solitary insects 

 Archi- ^^''^'' ^^ *^'^ Carpenter bee and the Mud-dauber wasp, but it is 

 tecture. none the less true with such social insects as ants, social wasps, 

 etc. Among these creatures the workers or neuters, as they are 

 popularly called, are undeveloped females, and possess all the instincts of the 

 female of their species. Upon them devolves the work of the colony. They 

 arc the nurses of the formicary, as well as its architects, scavengers, soldiers, 

 and purveyors. The whole care of the eggs, larva3, and pupa) rests with them, 

 and with the greatest enthusiasm and self devotion they exercise that care, 

 venturing their lives freely on all occasions for the welfare of their wards. 



With female spiders a like maternal devotion exists. Their cocooning 

 industry is the most intricate and ingenious of their spinningwork, and 

 this is directly the product of the maternal instinct. How varied, 

 Industry complicated, and ingenious this spinningwork is will be shown 

 encedbv "^ *^^ series of illustrations given in the following chapters. 

 Maternity Numerous as they are, they but imperfectly represent the indus- 

 try of the aranead mother ; and I am confident that, when this 

 field shall have been fully explored, my studies will be found to reflect but 

 imperfectly the actual facts as they exist in the aranead world. 



It is highly probable that not only the cocooning, but also the nesting, 

 industry is under the influence of the same maternal sentiment. Certainly 

 many of the admirably constructed nests described and figured in Volume I., 

 Chapters XVII. and XVIII., are used as home shelters for the cocoon and the 

 young; as, for example, the nest of our Thcridium zelotypum, the won- 

 derful domicile of the English Theridium riparium, and the various sub- 

 terranean nests of the Lycosids. This would seem to be true also of the 

 remarkable nesting industry of the Tunnelweavers. 



Abbe Sauvages expresses the belief that the Trapdoor spider's nest is 

 primarily designed for the preservation of the young, rather than for the 

 preservation of the individuals themselves. Certainly these ingenious struct- 

 ures do serve as a nursery for the spiderlings, as will be shown in Chapter V. 

 The cocoons are suspended within them under the vigilant watch care of 

 the mother, and therein the younglings are hatched and dwell for a con- 

 siderable period of time. Their habit appears to be to leave the maternal 

 nest only when they are abundantly furnished with strength to enter upon 

 housekeeping for themselves. Then they migrate, and, establishing them- 



