MATERNAL INSTINCTS : MOTHERHOOD. 



181 



who swing their cocoons free, as Argiope and Theridium ; that is to say, 

 the spider hangs with her back downward while ovipositing. But in many 

 cases of females that liave cocooned for me in boxes, the eggs must have 

 been placed in the reverse position, since the 

 cocoon was attached to the bottom of the box. 

 Of course, the species that fasten their 

 cocoons to various surfaces, as do many 

 Epeiras and most Tubeweavers, deposit the 

 eggs downwards. Other fixed cocoons have as ^lo. 237. Epeira strix placing eggs into a 



. „ , , , , , , „ flossy boll of silk. (After Emerton.) 



manirestly been placed upwards, as, tor ex- 

 ample, those spun on the under surface of stones, fallen logs, etc. Others, 

 again, have been laid while the spider was in a vertical position, as when 

 cocooning upon loose bark of trees and similar vertical sites. The bodily 

 attitude appears to make little or no difference as to the facility with 

 which the female can deposit her eggs. Whether directing them upward 

 (with the dorsum towards the earth), or directing them downward (with 

 the dorsum towards the sky), or depositing them against a vertical surface, 

 with the head downward or upward, as the case may be, the mother is 

 able to empty the ovaries with equal comfort and ease. 



Mr. Emerton has observed several species in the act of ovipositing, and 

 his brief notes upon the manner thereof are as follows i^ Epeira strix first 

 spins a rounded bunch of loose threads, into the middle of which 

 ... she discharges her eggs, as shown in Fig. 237. The eggs, which 



are little drops of jelly, are held up by the loose threads until 

 the spider has time to spin for them a covering of strong silk. It is to 

 be regretted that the description here is so indefinite, as the term "cov- 

 ering of strong silk " may imply either the flossy boll which is invari- 

 ably found to surround the egg mass of Epeira, or the smooth textured 

 silken bag which immediately encloses the eggs and against which the 

 flossy blanketing is laid. When a cocoon of Epeira strix and others of 

 similar habit is cut open, this silken encasement is invariably seen, and 



it presents the appearance of having been 

 the original substance against which the 

 eggs were directly laid. 



The same author has been fortunate 

 enough to observe the mode of positing 

 eggs with two other tribes. The female 

 Drassus (Fig. 238), spins a little web 

 across her nest and drops tlie eggs upon 

 it. They are soft, and mixed with liquid, 

 and are discharged in one or two drops, like jelly. They quickly suck up 

 the liquid, and become dry on the surface, sometimes adhering slowly 



Fia. 238. Female Drassus in the act of drop- 

 ping eggs. (After Emerton.) 



' Ilabit-s iind Structure, page 101. 



